Isle of Wight

Day trip to the Isle of Wight (14^th October)

The Red Funnel’s “Red Falcon” plies the waters between Southampton and the Isle of Wight, not, with its oil refineries and power generating station, the prettiest stretch of water in the world. It is a vehicular ferry and it serves the worst coffee in the world. The Isle of Wight is special. It encapsulates in a few square miles the best and worst of England: tawdry seaside resorts sit cheek by jowl alongside stunning seascapes of which those between Ventnor and Freshwater Bay, where Alfred Tennyson courted his muse, is a highpoint. Better still though in our view, is the rarely visited Newtown (just west of Cowes). In the Middle Ages, it was the principal port and settlement on the island but has long since ceded that role to the sprawling Newport. What remains are extensive wetlands—they are an ornithologist’s dream—, the Old Town Hall, and a charming port, which makes its mainland cousins look like maritime hypermarkets. Visit it.