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| Reviews and photos of Isle of Wight attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Isle of Wight sightseeing. Map |
 | Isle of Wight Things To Do | Tips 11 - 20 of 115 |  |
Alot of people just use freshwater as a stepping stone to Alum Bay where they play with coloured sand, but never actually stop in Feshwater. This is a shame as Freshwater has it's fair share of attractions. It has beaches, a green, Margaret Cameron museum, the monument to the poet Tennyson, one of the only thatched churches in England, the pillbox and much more. You couldn't fill a day there, but why not stop seeing as all bar the museum is free of charge.
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Just up the road from where the Pillbox lies, is Freshwater's All Saint's Church. It is not necessarily the church that is the attraction is the grounds that surround it. If you wander through the vast graveyard there is alot hidden away which you don't see in the guide books. The yard is filled with varieties of poppy and daisy, all which are wild. But more of an interest are the grave stones. If you walk on the far edge of the yard, a family grave is seen, but the stone which marks them in it's self is remarkable. An 7ft angel sits atop their grave, one hand raised up the air the other clutching a real bunch of roses. It brought a tightness to my chest to see how lovely and beautiful it is to mark a grave with such an icon. Further round the yard is the grave of the poet Tennyson and his family. Everything in the yard is so touching and so beautiful, if you prefer to have a quiter holiday follow the path round this churches garden, and sit on th ebench overlooking the river. It really is wonderful.
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If you follow the footpath from St Helen's down to the Duver then cut through the hedges by the National Trust car park, you will find your self on a beach over looking Bembridge. If you turn right from there past the Baywatch cafe you will find yourself, at what used to be a church. Originally built in the 11th century, it was attached to a Cluniac priory. In 1414 the property passed to Eton College, but still continued to serve as a parish church, though later on dispute arose as to who was responsible for the churches upkeep and maintenance. Circa 1550 the north wall of the church was taken down, as it was thought dangerous and a 1559 survey described the crumbling church as "almost utterly decayed, so that oon may loke in at oon ende and owt at the other". Today all that is left was the only part of the church spared from the sea, stone robbers and delapidation. It has no use nowadays though sometimes Church services are held on the land beside the church, but really it is just a place to sit and look out to sea.
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During the Second World War the British government were always worried about the risk of invasion, and no-where else in Britain was more of a target to the Nazi's than the Isle of Wight. If invaded it could provide as a great stepping stone from France to Great Britain, and the government seriously realised this. A number of defences were put in around the Island, lumps of concrete were strategically placed along beaches to prevent tanks from landing there, a section of Ventnor Pier was removed and Pillboxes were also placed where vital. One Pillbox was placed on the outskirts of Freshwater to protect any boats or landing craft coming down the River Yar and to protect the causeway. It is still there to this day, but I wouldn't advise going in it. Some do but the interior is dirty and smelly.
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If you want to see more on Brighstone, go to my "Other pictures of Brighstone" travelogue.
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Just off Brighstone main road is a collection of three buildings all recently restored. Two of which join. The first one of the latter two you come to is the National Trust shop, which sells books, toys, cards, china, bathroom products and CD's. A door then joins this shop with the furthest building, which is a museum. It is only small but is a portrait of what life was like in rural Brighstone a few hundred years ago. Though only one room it displays the house as it would have been then. These two destinations are well worth a visit,the National Trust shop is good for buying presents or gifts for people back home (where ever you live) , and the Museum is free, so why not? Directions: Just off the main Brighstone road, next to the village hall, opposite the thatched newsagents.
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Despite it's roadside position, the Church at Brighstone is set in a peaceful location, overlooking most of the village. Originally built in the Norman period, it boasts many stained glass windows (some from the surrounding villages), old relics and has a peaceful churchyard. The Chruch yard is home to many old grave stones, some more special than others (see below). Don't feel that it is not your place to enter, and even if your not religious the visitors book can sometimes be a laugh. Directions: Centre of Brighstone village
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At the bottom of the graveyard between two nearly illegible gravestones is a small wooden sign which reads:
"Behind the grave of Lifeboatman Moses Munt, who was drowned along with Thomas Cotton during the rescue of the Sirenia in 1888, lies that of the Salter family.
On April 5th 1913, the three children, Ethel, Albert and Vera, drowned whilst collecting winkles on the beach off Chilton Chine"
It is a nice little thing to see, especially in Spring when both stones are surrounded with daffodils (as shown in picture) Address: St. Mary's Church
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Brighstone is a little secluded village in the South of the Isle of Wight, filled with thatch cottages and home to St.Marys Church and Brighstone tea rooms, this traditional English village reflects its history in the name itself which was first recorded in 1212. It is in a less travelled area of the Island but is a great place. There are a number of footpaths which lead away from the village and travel up into the forest, Brighstone boast a number of thatches, a village shop, post office, tearooms, village hall, church and National trust shop. Address: South Wight
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My paternal grandfather was a railwayman, and I suspect that it was this that gave me my deep love of trains, especially steam trains. It was inevitable, therefore, that on a visit to the Isle of Wight, I would go for a ride on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. I certainly wasn't to be disappointed as it was one of the highlights of my trip.
Opened in it's present form in 1971 and run largely by volunteers, the railway runs the five miles between Smallbrook Junction and Wootton via Ashey and Havenstreet, and truly is a trip back in time.
If you start your journey at Smallbrook Junction, as I did, you will have to reach it by Island Line train, as there is no other access to the platforms (see seperate tip for Island Line information). As I had bought a combined Island Line / steam Railway ticket (£10 per day), I didn't need to purchase one from the very smartly turned out ticket collector (who also turned out to be the guard).
I picked a carriage, sat down and was instantly transported back 70 years or so. The carriage in questionwas SR2416, originally of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, which had moved to the Island in 1936 and ran until the end of steam in 1966. Incidentally, the island was the last part of Britain to regularly run steam trains. I learnt all this from the informative panel displayed in every car telling the history.
The four carriages were pulled by the beautiful 1953 Austerity type locomotive called Waggoner because of her service with the Royal Corps of Transport.
Leaving Smallbrook junction, we travelled through some lovely country, past Ashey station to Havenstreet, where the train stopped. There is a railway museum here (see seperate tip), but I decided to carry on to the final stop at Wootton. I did check out the Museum on the return trip, though (see seperate tip). Leave a Comment
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on August 25, 2007
on June 3, 2007
