Exploring the Isle of Wight
St. James' Square
As the weather begins to get cooler in Australia, it made me think of the autumnal trip I made to the Isle of Wight. (I liked the Isle of Wight so much I want to return and experience it during the summer months) I took the ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne and explored mainly the northern and eastern side of the island. But I did drive out one day to the western side of the island to the small city (smallest in the UK, apparently) of Yarmouth.
It was late autumn so the weather was somewhat gloomy and it was very quiet as it's a seaside holiday town. Still it was nice enough to walk around, it has some nice cottages.
Cottage in St. James' street.
The owner of the B&B where I stayed gave me a lunch recommendation, as I like being around water, she recommended The Gossip's Cafe. It was a great recommendation, the cafe is over the water and has windows where you can sit and look out to sea. It was also very popular and despite it being out of season, it was full.
Looking back into the town from the pier, The Gossips Cafe.
The town is quite small, it only has a population of about 900 people (which is very small by UK standards!) so it's easy to walk around, there's a marina and the ferry terminal. The ferry from Yarmouth goes to Lymington in Hampshire.
The Needles was another recommendation from my helpful B&B host, it's situated in Alum Bay, about a 15 minute drive from Yarmouth. So after lunch and my short exploration of Yarmouth, I headed off to Alum Bay.
The Needles are three stacks of chalk that stand out in the water, at the end is a lighthouse (necessary but an eyesore!). Entrance to the Needles lookout is free but you pay for parking.
The Needles (from this angle the lighthouse is hidden somewhat)
There's a chairlift that takes you down to the beach and you can look at the coloured sand in the cliffs. Or just walk up and down for free! As it was late in the afternoon and gloomy I decided just to admire the Needles from the lookout and wander around the Needles Landmark Attractions. There are shops and funfair attractions as well as 'make your own coloured sand picture' which apparently was the times gone by Isle of Wight seaside souvenir for children. There's a cafe and nearby there's artillery batteries, which are National Trust. There are tourist boats which leave from Alum Bay to take you up to the Needles for a closer look. I imagine that in the summer months it's very busy, but late autumn it was quiet with only a few people around so perfect for a relaxing visit!
I really liked the Isle of Wight and it's high on the list for a revisit!
As the weather begins to get cooler in Australia, it made me think of the autumnal trip I made to the Isle of Wight. (I liked the Isle of Wight so much I want to return and experience it during the summer months) I took the ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne and explored mainly the northern and eastern side of the island. But I did drive out one day to the western side of the island to the small city (smallest in the UK, apparently) of Yarmouth.
It was late autumn so the weather was somewhat gloomy and it was very quiet as it's a seaside holiday town. Still it was nice enough to walk around, it has some nice cottages.
The owner of the B&B where I stayed gave me a lunch recommendation, as I like being around water, she recommended The Gossip's Cafe. It was a great recommendation, the cafe is over the water and has windows where you can sit and look out to sea. It was also very popular and despite it being out of season, it was full.
The town is quite small, it only has a population of about 900 people (which is very small by UK standards!) so it's easy to walk around, there's a marina and the ferry terminal. The ferry from Yarmouth goes to Lymington in Hampshire.
The Needles was another recommendation from my helpful B&B host, it's situated in Alum Bay, about a 15 minute drive from Yarmouth. So after lunch and my short exploration of Yarmouth, I headed off to Alum Bay.
The Needles are three stacks of chalk that stand out in the water, at the end is a lighthouse (necessary but an eyesore!). Entrance to the Needles lookout is free but you pay for parking.
There's a chairlift that takes you down to the beach and you can look at the coloured sand in the cliffs. Or just walk up and down for free! As it was late in the afternoon and gloomy I decided just to admire the Needles from the lookout and wander around the Needles Landmark Attractions. There are shops and funfair attractions as well as 'make your own coloured sand picture' which apparently was the times gone by Isle of Wight seaside souvenir for children. There's a cafe and nearby there's artillery batteries, which are National Trust. There are tourist boats which leave from Alum Bay to take you up to the Needles for a closer look. I imagine that in the summer months it's very busy, but late autumn it was quiet with only a few people around so perfect for a relaxing visit!
I really liked the Isle of Wight and it's high on the list for a revisit!
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