| Isle of Wight: |
Having achieved county status after years of being lumped in
with Hampshire, the Isle of Wight still has difficulty in shaking off its image
as a mere adjunct of rural southern England - comfortably off, scrupulously
tidy and desperately unadventurous. Yet the island, which measures less than 23
miles at its widest point, packs a surprising variety of landscapes and coastal
scenery within its bounds. North of the chalk ridge that runs across its
centre, the terrain is low-lying woodland and pasture, deeply cut by meandering
rivers, while southwards is open chalky down land fringed by high cliffs.
Two Heritage Coast paths follow the best of the shoreline, while several
historic buildings and a splendid array of well-preserved Victoriana provide
added interest. Chief of these is Osborne House, near Cowes, originally
designed as a summer retreat for Victoria and the royal family, later the
queen's permanent home after Albert died. Several other great Victorians also
had close associations with the island: Tennyson lived at Freshwater, and
Dickens stayed and wrote in Winterbourne House in Bonchurch - the town where
Swinburne grew up and is now buried. |
| Find out more information on Ferries to the
Isle of Wight by clicking on the following links: |
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Isle of Wight tourist office:
http://www.islandbreaks.co.uk
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