For this tour our
base is Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight off Britain's
southern coastline. We stay here for a week and each day our coach
takes us to explore
this fascinating island which was once the retreat of Queen Victoria and
home of famous Victorian literati Alfred Lord Tennyson,
Lewis Carroll and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Smugglers, poets and the Royal family have all enjoyed
the countryside of the Isle of Wight and this Rover holiday will
show you why.
Saturday: Arrive by train and ferry. Afternoon tea.
Sunday: On our first morning we visit nearby Farringford,
home of the poet Tennyson, and you will be able to walk in his
footsteps on some of the paths he used. We continue to
Calbourne, an idyllic
hamlet where we pause at the pretty and much photographed Winkle
Street. Then on to Newtown, once the capital of the island. Here
we visit the Old Town Hall and have a stroll in a peaceful
nature reserve.
Monday: We'll go first to the old smuggling
town of Brighstone, a pretty village with a thatched post office.
There is a museum which depicts life in the Victorian era.
Our next stop is Godshill and then after lunch we visit the old
church at Bonchurch. From here we go to the Ventnor Botanic
Gardens where exotic plants, trees, flowers and shrubs from
around the world are growing on a series of gardens.
Tuesday: In the
morning we go to Freshwater Causeway and stroll beside the River
Yar to Yarmouth. Yarmouth was
probably a Celtic settlement before the Romans came and
eventually, in the 12th century, a town was built here by a
Norman baron. Over the centuries it was ransacked many times
until, in the 16th century, Henry VIII was persuaded that a
castle was needed to protect that part of the island from
attack.
In the afternoon our coach takes us to Alum Bay, famous for its
coloured sand. A very short scenic bus ride takes us to the
Needles viewpoint then we end the day in the tranquil
surroundings of Mottistone Manor Gardens, a picturesque garden
set alongside an Elizabethan manor house.
Wednesday: Free day. You can enjoy the pool and lovely sea
views from the hotel, visit village pubs and tea
gardens, ride the steam railway or hop a 1940's style bus to
trundle along lanes and explore quaint villages.
Thursday: Today you'll see Cowes, the most famous
sailing centre in the country and home to the fashionable
regatta "Cowes Week". We walk along the promenade to
West Cowes, home of the Royal Yacht Squadron. Cowes is an
interesting town with a busy harbour, narrow streets and unusual
shops. We then cross over to East Cowes and visit Queen Victoria's beloved home Osborne House
which was designed by Prince Albert. Two important inventors
have also been associated with the island and particularly with
Osborne House: This three-storey royal seaside villa,
overlooking the Solent, was built for the Queen and her consort
Prince Albert on an estate of 342 acres. The Prince himself
designed this Italianate building withr Victorian opulence,
extravagant interiors, and jaw-dropping Indian décor in the
Durbar Room. It was from
Osborne House that Bell gave a demonstration of the telephone to
Queen Victoria in 1878 and Marconi transmitted his
first royal messages in 1898 enquiring about the health of her
son the Prince of Wales.
Friday: Our first stop this morning is medieval Quarr
Abbey, home to Benedictine monks. We continue to Ryde where we
enjoy the ocean views as we walk along the Promenade to the
village of Seaview. In the afternoon we go to Brading Roman Villa
which dates from the 3rd century AD and shows fine examples of mosaic floors and objects which
illustrate life in a British-Roman villa. Our return over
Brading Down gives us wonderful views across the island.
Saturday: Tour ends after breakfast.
Cost per person: (based on double occupancy) 694 UK
pounds
Single Supplement: 252 UK pounds
A few small single rooms are sometimes available with no
supplement.
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