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Carisbrooke Castle is a Norman castle in the middle of the island, on a hill near Newport. It has a rich history, and was originally built to defend against the threat of Spanish invasion.
One of the castles most famous visitors was Charles I, who was imprisoned here.
Today, it is open to the public. There are two medieval wells, of which one is still operated by a team of donkeys that are used to demonstrate the treadwheel. There is also a museum housed in the Great Hall that displays objects connected with the history of the castle. Leave a Comment
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The Needles is a famous natural landmark on the Isle of Wight. The Needles are a series of chalk stacks at the western most point of the island. At the end there is a lighthouse. To see The Needles you can go to the nearby Alum Bay, which is famous for the coloured sand. At the top of the cliff there is a pleasure park and a chairlift to the beach. Leave a Comment
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Shanklin was the base for our stay on the island and we loved it here. It is a charming little coastal town with a beautiful old village, Shanklin Chine, sandy beach and many hotels.
The beach is sheltered by tall cliffs and can be easily accessed by the cliff lift. The village is extremely pretty with its thatched cottages, quaint shops and old fashioned tea rooms. The Shanklin Chine, is a deep gorge carved out by a stream with a waterfall and rare plants. In the evening the Chine is illuminated.
High Street and Regent Street are excellent for shopping, especially gifts. Most gift shops are open until 9 pm.
I liked the cliff-top walk along the Bay with spectacular views, going from the cliff lift toward the old village via the Chine. Leave a Comment Directions: South east of the island
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 The coloured sands of Alum Bay by bluesmamaLeave a Comment
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 Osborne House by Tolik
The Durbar Room is considered by many to be the most stunning of the state rooms. “Mrs Brown” was filmed here. Like the house, the gardens at Osborne were in formal Italianate style and were designed by Thomas Cubbit. The walled garden produced flowers and fruits for the house. Leave a Comment Directions: Admission Adults £7.50, students £5.60, children £3.80, family £18.80
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 Carisbrooke Castle by Tolik
Here you can explore the castle where Charles I was imprisoned just before his execution in January 1649. He was first treated as an honored guest, even enjoying the game of bowls. However, his attempted escape through the window bought an end to such freedoms. The footpath will lead you directly to the entrance to Carisbrooke Castle, and although steep in places is short enough for most to manage. The Castle is open to the public all the year round. If you decide to visit, allow at least half a day, for apart from the museums, chapel and wet house, there are extensive walks around the battlements. The footpaths circling the castle grounds are open to the public free of charge. Take a walk around and enjoy the panoramic views of the countryside below you. See how many different wild flowers you can spot (over 260 different species have been recorded in this location). With battlements to march across, the great keep to climb and gatehouse to discover, the Castle is a delight to explore.
The Island Museum housed in the 800-years-old Great Hall. It was said that whoever controlled Carisbrooke castle, controlled the Isle of Wight. You can meet the famous Carisbrooke donkeys here. Since the 18th century donkeys have been used to turn the water wheel in the well-house. Today the donkeys happily demonstrate the work they once undertook (each donkey works an hour a day or so). Leave a Comment Address: Carisbrooke is on the western outskirts of NewportDirections: Adults £4.60, students £3.50, children £2.30, family £11.50.
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 by deeper_blueLeave a Comment
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Osbourne House was Queen Victoria's pile overlooking the English Channel. I can only describe the style of the exterior as Victorian Italianate. And the interior, I can only describe as extreme. If something didn't have a bow or curlique or heroic greek insignia or something oriental and exotic on it, then you probably won't find it here!
Don't let it put you off: this is a fascinating place to visit. From the first moment we drove up to the front of the house in a pony and trap (50p... and the pony is called Magic!), we were in fantasy land. Apart from the extraordinary public rooms, you see an imaginative display of life below stairs, with particular reference to the tasks of the royal table setters. You'll also nursery life: some fascinating displays of family history and a strange picture of the lives of the royal children.. a long way away from the rest of the household - basically, in the attics.
There are many surprises: an early shower, in the royal bathroom, and a lift which was installed when the Queen began to age.
Favourite things: the Queen was very interested in the lives of people far away across the Empire. There is a long corridor of small watercolour portraits of Indian and African people - not just dignitaries: religious people, craftsmen: the faces are vividly depicted. This is in contrast to the the famous Anglo-Indian Durbar Room where royal treasures presented to Queen Victoria for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees are displayed.
You should leave time to visit the grounds, as the tour of the house takes 90 minutes (you might not think it will but it does!) . There are sweeping terraces with wonderful views out to sea, a great expanse of parkland, and a lovely walled garden. We didn't leave time to take the pony and trap to the Swiss Cottage, which I would have enjoyed _ Mr Spincat was more doubtful about it!
http://www.cowes.shalfleet.net/osborne_house.htm
shows some old postcards of the estate. I included the site because the pictures appealed to me. Leave a Comment Address: Osborne House, East CowesDirections: For more info, directions and prices (£10 per adult as of summer 2006) see the hopeless English Heritage website:. Information is fine once you have found it!Website: http://www.english-heritage.org
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 Ventor Botanic Garden by Tolik
The Botanic Garden is a place where the pleasure of plants can be enjoyed to the fullest, it is also a place where people of all ages can learn more about the wonderful world of plants and the inextricable link that we have with them.
The Garden is owned by the Isle of Wight Council and is held in perpetuity as public open space. It is free of charge to enter the grounds and the Temperate Showhouse and only car parking is charged for. Leave a Comment Address: Ventor
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 Godshill graveyard by jayhawk2000
Downhill at the nicest of the tea shops is a large garden where you can sit among the topiary. They had a lovely selection of cakes, but I ended up feeding about half of mine to the tame sparrows hopping around in the grass because they were so cute. Leave a Comment
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