The
Isle of Wight is the smallest of England’s counties, with the
resident population being around 130,000. To the north lies the Solent and to
the south is the English Channel. Known as
"The Garden Isle", this jewel of England indeed resembles a diamond
in shape, measuring 23 miles west to east and 13 miles north to south, an area
or 147 square miles. The Island is one of the most popular holiday destinations
in the UK,
with around one  million visitors each year. There is over 60 miles of coastline
which ranges from award winning beaches to spectacular chalk cliffs. The Island, which is divided into two boroughs - Medina &
South Wight, was known as “Vectis” by the Romans. Newport is the county town, although Ryde is
the largest town. The exact centre of the Island is at Shide Corner, on the
outskirts of Newport
and the highest point is St. Boniface Down at Ventnor.
Walking on the Isle of Wight is a popular
past-time and there are over 500 miles of public footpaths including dramatic
coastal paths. The climate here is almost sub-tropical and Sandown, Shanklin
and Ventnor are regularly at the top of the UK sunshine table. Over 50% of the
Island has been designated an “Area of Outstanding Beauty” with about half of
the coastline named as “Heritage Coast” - an honour only awarded to the finest
stretches of coastline in the country. Red squirrels have a particular penchant
for the surroundings (due to the lack of grey squirrels) and are widely
prevalent on the Island - almost the final
stronghold in the south of the country.
The most famous landmark here on the Isle of Wight is “The Needles” - three
jagged chalk projections running out to sea at the extreme west of the island
at Alum Bay, which is also renowned for its
multi-coloured sand cliffs, which are caused by a mixture of minerals in the
sand. There is a lighthouse here too, clinging to the base of the most westerly
rock of the Needles group. It originally became popular here with tourists over
200 years ago when they used to visit by paddle steamer from the mainland. Another
popular landmark is the Bembridge Windmill, the only existing windmill on the Island. It is located at the opposite end of the Island, was built around 1700 and still has its original
machinery intact.
www.isleofwighttouristguide.com
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