WHYTHEISLEOF WIGHTISSTILLA FIRMFAVOURITE
A FERRY ride makes all the difference. Somehow, you feel you’re going overseas — while still firmly in the UK.
On leaving Portsmouth bound for Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight, children are in a state of high excitement, their parents taking in the air and chatting as if shackles have been lifted.
It’s only 20 minutes or so on the catamaran, ten minutes on the hover.
Locals say life can be tough here. There are boarded-up guest houses, down-at-heel fish and chip shops and jobs aren’t plentiful. All the more reason to support this precious island, where there is so much to do and see.
I used to come here with my parents, staying in a B&B in Seaview called The Orange Tree. I shared a tiny room with my brother, while our parents were down the corridor in a slightly larger double with a bay window and views of, well, a road.
But we knew that the sea was a mere 100 yards away and that when the tide went out we had acres of sand on which to play cricket.
There wasn’t a great choice of hotels then — except the Seaview Hotel, which is still going strong. At low tide, you can walk to Bembridge, where the yachty crowd clink glasses and look forward to Cowes Week, which begins on Saturday. Almost midway between Seaview and Bembridge is Priory Bay, a perfect spot for swimming. When the sun shines it could almost be Greece.
Crucial is a visit to Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s favourite home, with its recently renovated ornate terrace gardens and HM’s private beach.
The pace of life is slower on the island — and that’s no bad thing.