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ISLE OF WIGHT

UNITED KINGDOM | Thursday, 4 December 2025 | Views [47]

ISLE OF WIGHT
 
  Do you remember verse from the old Beatles’ song “When I’m 64”? ♫ Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight, if it′s not too dear ♫ Well, here we are . . . it isn’t too dear but it is definitely not summer! The island is supposed to be the sunniest place in the UK but I wouldn’t leave home without an umbrella.
 
  The Portsmouth Ferry Terminal has the system down pat. It took only about 15 minutes for the cars from the Island to unload and for a dozen trucks, about 50 cars and the walk-on passengers to board to the ferry. We left Portsmouth at 10:00am on the dot and were in Fishbourne 45 minutes later. On a good day Londoners can make the trip from Big Ben in just over two hours and about two million visitors make the Isle of Wight a favorite summertime destination.
With several hours before check-in at our AirBnB we set off to explore the Island. It’s just over 50 miles around and the first decision was clockwise or anti-clockwise—we went right. First stop, Yarmouth. We ate lunch in the car waiting for the rain to slow then walked around the charming town searching for Yarmouth Castle. We knew it was closed for the season but we thought it would be recognizable - it is a castle after all.
 
  Yarmouth is a village with an ice cream parlor on every block. The Bugle Coaching Inn is gorgeous and the church dates to the 1600s. Many homes have interesting door knockers, and charming signs hang outside every hotel. Then we drove to The Needles, a series of jagged slabs extending into the sea, that lies at the western tip of Wight. We had hiked out to the overlook and had just headed back when the rain began in earnest along with an umbrella-shredding wind. The sun came out as we reached the carpark but the damage was done. A stunning rainbow almost made up for my soggy clothes.
 
We stopped at Tesco on the way to the AirBnB for enough supplies to last for a few days, and we arrived at the "Lodge on the Marsh" just after three. George, the owner, showed us around the quirky cabin. It is cute and comfy, a bit chilly even with both heaters on high but the electric blanket helps out at night. The kitchenette doesn’t have a stove so we’ve been feasting on microwavable meals. But the views across the marsh make up for the mediocre dining.

 

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