Isle of Wight
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Overview
On the Isle of Wight these days there's something groovy in the air. For decades this slab of rock anchored off Portsmouth was a magnet for family holidays, and it still has seaside kitsch by the bucket and spade. But now the proms and amusement arcades are framed by pockets of pure funkiness. A long-running music festival draws party-goers, just-caught seafood is served in kooky fishers' cafes, and cool camping rules – here sites are dotted with yurts and vintage campervans. Yet still the isle's principal appeal remains: a mild climate, myriad outdoorsy activities and a 25-mile shore lined with beaches, dramatic white cliffs and tranquil sand dunes.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Isle of Wight
The Victorian fort complex at Wight's western tip is home to two gun emplacements where engrossing displays reveal how the site was established in 1862,…
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Isle of Wight
Lemon-frosted and Italianate, Osborne House is pure Victorian pomp. Built in the 1840s at the behest of Queen Victoria, the monarch grieved here for many…
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Isle of Wight
The exquisitely preserved mosaics here (including a famous cockerel-headed man) make this one of the finest Romano-British sites in the UK. Wooden…
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Isle of Wight
At this idyllic sand-and-shingle spit bordering the mouth of the River Yar, trails snake past swathes of sea pink, marram grass and rare clovers. It's…
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Isle of Wight
A crenellated 19th-century navigational aid that marks the island's southernmost point. Tours climb the 90-odd steps up to the lantern room, revealing…
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Isle of Wight
Charles I was imprisoned here before his execution in 1649. Today you can clamber the sturdy ramparts and play bowls on the very green the doomed monarch…
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Isle of Wight
Known locally as the Pepperpot, this 34ft, octagonal, 14th-century tower constitutes England's only surviving medieval lighthouse.
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Isle of Wight
Regularly chugs the one-hour journey from Smallbrook Junction to Wootton Common.
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