60’s Californian Chic

This breathtaking show stopper – with 180 sea views, floor to ceiling glass and outdoor pool – is located on the Island’s northern most point, just outside of Cowes. SeaGlass is an award winning contemporary home above Gurnard bay and has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines. Sleeping 11 in 6 bedrooms, the house has a fresh, minimalist feel featuring endless glass vistas, open fireplace and a semicircular infinity lawn.

Green tip: For the environmentally conscious, the house incorporates a great deal of sustainable technology, including a ground source heat pump which heats the water and the swimming pool, a rainwater harvester supplying the loos and the garden irrigation system. There are solar panels which also supply electricity and the whole house is super insulated.

Best activity locally… sailing of course!

Live the American dream with a seven night stay starting from £4995 per week.

Rock it like a rock star

This house has been chosen by the likes of wild one Russell Brand, for that perfect party weekend getaway and with accommodation for up to 20 guests you can see why.

Rocklands Manor is hidden in the mild, lush undercliff of St Lawrence, near Ventnor, set in its own mature gardens. This pad really has it all with a spacious billiard room with bar, grand dining room in the original ballroom, 9 private en suite bedrooms, heated private swimming pool with retractable conservatory style enclosure, private tennis court, croquet lawn, and large barn with wood burning stove & barbecue shelter all just a few minutes’ walk through stunning scenery to a secluded smuggling cove.

Top tip: Go for some of the ‘Bespoke extras’ – we love the full staffing option – including Chef and Butler.

Best activity locally… walking and exploring the undercliff.

Party on with 2 nights starting from £6900.

Art Deco Decadence

For a slice of 20’s European grandeur, Marine Villa in Shanklin is your panacea. Built in 1929 as a gentlemen’s residence this stunning art deco Mediterranean style villa offers spectacular sea views over Sandown Bay.

The house has 7 bedrooms sleeping up to 23 people, making this is the perfect retreat en famille. With huge stained glass windows throughout and an impressive triple aspect drawing room and large oak-panelled dining-room with doors into the sun room and garden for al-fresco dining this house was built for entertaining.

Foodie tip: Venture a short way down the coast to Ventnor for food to match your accommodation – sample the 7 course tasting menu at The Hambrough.

Best activity locally… kitesurfing or windsurfing down in Sandown Bay.

Go grand for £1500 for a weekend or short break.

Country Classic

To live the country life with 18 of your closest friends why not try Tapnell Manor in the West Wight? For roaring fires, rustic beams and the essential country classic – the four oven AGA – this house is a must stay. The farmhouse sleeps 19 in 10 bedrooms and offers relaxed living across three floors, complete with games room and extensive gardens for that evening stroll alongside the herbaceous borders.

Special get together tip: located on a working farm, Tapnell Manor is also home to Tom’s Eco Lodges, rustic safari style canvas lodges perfect for a spot of glamping. Sleeping 8 a pop and with 5 available to rent – why not extend the party and get all your friends and family along?

Best activity locally… cycling the West Wight and beyond.

Rural relaxation at Tapnell Farmhouse is available from just £2295 a week.

The spring emerges as a waterfall at the head of Shanklin Chine and this is where Shanklin Old Village is nestled, a collection of ancient thatched houses and cottages that are now tea gardens, pubs and gift shops.

The Chine is very lush and green with a pretty walkway down to the beach below, a small museum and during the season it is illuminated after dusk when it is especially magical.

All around the Old Village are walkways through tree lined lanes and parkland – Rylstone Gardens on the cliff to the southern side of the Chine is a particular find with its flower-filled tea gardens and panoramic views from the cliff top. At the bottom of the Chine sits the Fisherman’s Cottage, a pub dating from 1817 that once offered hot brine baths to visitors.

Shanklin Old Village was the original village from which Shanklin grew and it has a particular charm with perhaps the largest number of thatched dwellings in one area on the Island. Walk up the hill towards the newer town and you will encounter Keats Cottage where Keats came to stay in 1819.

It was thought that the spring had health giving properties and it is likely that Keats visited the village for that reason. Keats found inspiration for some of his greatest poetry while staying at Shanklin in 1819 and wrote: “The wondrous Chine here is a very great Lion; I wish I had as many guineas as there have been spy-glasses in it.”

At the very top of the hill sits Shanklin Theatre, which is the only traditional theatre that is currently in use on the Island and has a full bill during the season, including good local am dram productions. From here the High Street continues down the hill into Shanklin town and the main shopping centre that is in Regent Street, which runs at a right angle to the High Street all the way down to the train station.

The rail link from Ryde Pierhead opened in 1864 and still runs to this day, utilizing old London Underground trains. This line also sees many commuting workers on a daily basis with a direct linked journey through to London Waterloo taking just over two and a half hours on a good day.

In 1890 Shanklin was in its heyday as a beach resort and a pier was built for visitors to the town, followed by a lift from the top of the cliff to the beach that was finished in 1892. The pier is long gone – finally finished off by the storm in 1987 – but the lift is still in operation during the summer months.

Shanklin seafront boasts many good pubs, restaurants and a large traditional holiday arcade, with adventure themed crazy golf, kids indoor play area, bowling and coin slot machines. But you will be spoiled for choice if you’re looking to stay in Shanklin as hotels and guest houses abound around the town centre, there are several hotels on the cliff top and a few hotels and guesthouses on the seafront. The Old Village boasts two hotels and nearby Luccombe has a handful of good ones too.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road…

Make sure you take your little munchkins to see The Wizard of Oz at Shanklin Theatre from November 1^st to 3^rd. In fact book early to reserve your seats at our only period theatre on the Island.

You’ll be ‘Over the Rainbow’ as soon as Dorothy clicks her little sparkly red heels in this production of The Wizard of Oz by the South Wight Youth Theatre. Follow her adventures with her little dog Toto (played by a real dog) as she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and then the Cowardly Lion and they all make their way along the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz.

Look out for the Wicked Witch of the West, the Munchkins and the Jitterbugs in this wonderful journey through the magical Land of Oz. Each character is hoping that the Wizard will solve their problem: the scarecrow wants a brain, the tin man wants a heart and the lion wants to be as brave as a lion. Dorothy just wants to go back to Kansas with her darling dog.

Performances are at 7.30pm on Thursday 1^st, Friday 2^nd and Saturday 3^rd November with a matinee performance on Saturday 3^rd at 2.30pm.

Get Creative at Chessell Pottery

Chessell Pottery is celebrating the striking ‘Colours of Autumn’ at their ceramic studio in the heart of the West Wight this half term. The studio is introducing a fantastic new palette of seasonal paint colours to help you capture the beautiful autumnal colours around us at the moment on their plates, bowls or other clay items.

The easy-to-use autumn-inspired decorating sponges will also be out, and they feature everything from leaves and acorns, to toadstools and blackberries. Try selecting just one or two leaf sponges and painting them in an array of autumn colours; a simple yet beautiful way to make a very eye catching piece of pottery that you will treasure forever, especially if its been made by one of your kids.
The Studio fee of £5.50 per person (not per item) covers all materials, a demonstration, plus glazing and firing of all items decorated that session. Choose from an extensive range of blank pottery, which includes Chessell’s own cream ware blanks, as well as Emma Bridgewater’s items.

Chessell has been awarded ‘Best Island Cream Tea 2011/12’ from the Wight Good Food Guide for the third year running so, while the children are busy decorating, treat yourself to an ‘Ultimate Island Cream Tea’; totally home baked using all Island produce. Or why not stay for lunch? The café always has a warming, homemade, seasonal soup on offer, perfect for those chilly autumn days.

The Gift Barn stocks the largest range of Emma Bridgewater pottery on the Island plus cards, local arts and crafts and locally made preserves. It is also home to a beautiful range of Fair Trade, traditional and wooden toys as well as a selection of pocket money items.

Get Arty at the Quay

There are loads of lovely workshops and classes to join in down at Quay Arts this half term. First of all on Saturday October 27^th artist Tim Johnson will be leading The Big Draw. Anyone of any age can join in to help create a large work of art and the theme this year is ‘lines’.

Then on Monday October 29^th artist Chris Jenkins teaches a workshop on how to make monsters at Jubilee Stores, a converted warehouse on the town quay that is affiliated with Quay Arts. If you are over the age of ten you can design and make outlandish and wonderfully creepy monsters out of wood, junk and old machines. On Tuesday October 30^th Chris will be teaching mask making, also at the Jubilee Stores and for ages eight to 12 years.

On Thursday there’s a clay workshop with Clair Robinson, also for eight to 12 year old people.The theme is scary animals such as witches cats and bats and maybe even a frog or toad.  Work will be glazed, fired and ready to collect two weeks after the workshop. Finally on Saturday November 3^rd there is a ppppick up a penguin workshop, to get you in the mood for the afternoon’s puppet show!

Please note: children must be accompanied by an adult to drop-ins.

Halloween wild card

Oh go on then..for a spooky option checkout the children’s Halloween party at Gatcombe Manor – site of the former Whitecroft Hospital near Newport. There’s a pumpkin carving competition with first prize a £50 voucher for Amazon – bring your carved pumpkin or have a go while you’re at the party as there are hundreds to be carved! Or take part in the ‘Be the Ghost with the Most’ fancy dress competition with another £50 Amazon voucher up for grabs. There’s a witches cauldron with mulled wine potion for the adults and the party begins at 4.30pm and runs through till 7pm. For details call 0845 034 2123.

Horse Ledge

Why it’s called Horse Ledge I have no idea, maybe it’s short for (Sea)Horse Ledge. If you know its origin I’d love to hear. Essentially Horse Ledge is the point, at the bottom of Knock Cliff, that separates Sandown Bay from Luccombe as the coastline turns south-west and heads for Ventnor. The quickest route is via Rylstone Gardens (plenty of roadside parking), down the steep steps with those maddening mini-treads that make you tip-toe like a ballet dancer, and out onto the shingle top of the beach revetment –  a popular spot for BBQs.

But before we go on, a precautionary note. Horse Ledge and its marvelous little beach are completely cut off from safe exit at high tide. Check your tide tables, give yourself plenty of time, keep an eye on the route back (weather conditions can vary the tides sufficiently to make a difference) and all will be well.

Back to your arrival – head out diagonally right across the beach from the shingle (at low tide you cross a lovely broad expanse of sand) until you reach the boulders and reef that comprise Horse Ledge – you just need to climb up and you’re there!

It’s a strange spot, a flat spit of sandstone pockmarked with pools, some mere puddles, others deep enough to swallow you up. Imagine a scale model of Caithness and you’ll be pretty much there:

The rockpools are just fabulous, every stone is plastered in amazing things; look for the beautiful blue star ascidians and the tiny brittlestars and here and there clumps of rare Peacocks Tail seaweed. Or you can just wander out to the tip of the ledge where the water shelves into deep clear blue.

Just a little further round the point is a really lovely little beach with a kind of shallow lagoon that forms just in the shelter of the ledge, perfect for a paddle. And while you’re sunning yourself (a previously popular activity in the summertime now thankfully restored to us) keep one eye on the cliffs above for that most spectacular of birds, the Peregrine – it’s a good spot for them.

Talking of the cliffs, they too are worth a look for fossils and and curious stones, but do be careful, they are very unstable and prone to mini-landslides that can launch even small pebbles at bullet speed (more dangerous adventure,  this is turning into an episode of Deadly 60). The mudslips glooping down the scree slopes are quite fascinating – like chocolate sauce on a really horrible sponge.

It doesn’t have the big spaces and long views of Yaverland but Horse Ledge is quite as delightful a place; its intimate and curious world provides the perfect balance and completes the visitor experience that the Bay has to offer.

1.    1900s – The Wellington Hotel, Ventnor

Ventnor was the most popular resort on the Island in Victorian times; and the warmer microclimate still draws in the crowds. High above the town, beach and esplanade, looking south over the Channel, the 28 bedroomed Wellington Hotel stands majestically. A whitewashed early Victorian Villa, the beautiful building has been lovingly restored. Decorated in neutral colours with stripped and polished floors, natural stone feature walls and of course, original features such as cornices, fireplaces and large windows, which were so typical of The Victorian Era. The bedrooms are equally as luxurious and most have panoramic sea views. The super deluxe rooms have their own balustrade balconies reflecting back to that glorious Victorian age.

2.    1930s – Marine Villa, Shanklin

The architecture, proportions and landscaped gardens with palms over the sea are reminiscent of an elegant Mediterranean villa famed within the 1930s. Offering spectacular sea views from its cliff top location over Sandown Bay towards Culver Cliff, this magnificent villa was built in 1929, as a gentlemen’s residence. The era of the 1930s is very evident with plenty of Art Deco influences throughout. There’s a fabulous upstairs sun-room with huge sliding picture windows where you can enjoy the breath-taking sunrises and bay illuminations by night. Huge stained glass windows highlight the oak panelled hallway, magnificent staircase and galleried landing. Built for entertaining, the house has an impressive triple aspect drawing room and large dining room with doors into the sun-room and garden for al-fresco dining. It can accommodate up to 20 people. . What’s more cliff-top walks begin from the garden gate.

3.    1950s – Brighstone Holiday Chalets, Brighstone

The Wish You Were Here picture postcard personifies the timeless post-war era of these chalets. Set in a unique position in West Wight, located on the coastal path looking straight out to sea, these festive chalets overlook Brighstone Bay with easy access to miles of beach.  Brightly coloured doors greet you with an immediate nostalgic feel harking back to the 1950s with all that Hi Di Hi happy camper charm.  The current owners have worked extensively to update the facilities while at the same time preserving the ethos from the bygone era of the 1950s.  These original chalets have been cleverly modernised over the years where each now offers a sitting room, well-equipped kitchen/diner, shower room and either one, two or three double bedrooms.

4.   1960s - Ocean Hotel, Sandown

The wonderful Ocean Hotel has been family run since 1958 and has an edge of ageing Hollywood glamour about it. The 96-bedroom hotel set in its semi-tropical, palm fringed gardens, wouldn’t look out of place if it were located in Malibu, California rather than overlooking the popular Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight.  There is a nostalgic nod towards the 1960s with a hint of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Grand entrances, high ceilings with chandeliers, black & white check floors and funky mirrors grace the walls.  There’s even a heart shaped outdoor swimming pool and miles of long beaches just steps away. The royal blue canopied entrance conjures up images of Audrey Hepburn sashaying along to get a cocktail and some canapés. 

5.    1970s – Chert, St Lawrence

For 1970s chic, Chert says it all. This brilliant piece of architecture is a unique mirror image 70s house, perched against a wooded cliff, tucked away behind St Lawrence. Wonderful sea views from the expansive first floor windows and large balcony are a marvel. But what makes Chert so special is that most of the original features and fixtures are still here along with some original furniture, so everything feels completely in keeping with the era. Chert is the epitome of 70s chic. Its large rectangular open plan living area upstairs is made up from two identical ‘wings’. These meet in a central hallway where a spiral staircase leads down to a mirrored entrance hall. The largely monochrome interior has a bright orange bathroom – undeniably 70s.

Billed as ‘the Isle of Wight’s coolest watersports centre’ Wight Waters certainly does have an impressive team. Started by Ian and Ceri Williams back in 1984, Wight Waters is now run by Ceri’s stepson Scott Gardner who has competed in national and international surfing and windsurfing championships and his brother Ross Williams has just been crowned European Formula Windsurfing Champion 2012. Aaran Williams is also a professional windsurfer and former champion, and now looks after their retail shop Earth, Wind and Water  in Shanklin where all equipment can be purchased.

Wight Waters is on a Dunroamin beach, an ideal location for learning watersports, with shallow waters and a sandy beach. There is also a great social side to the club with a café on site, regular barbecues, summer parties and beach games such as beach cricket, volley-ball, beach Frisbee and boules on the beach.

Windsurfing courses range from taster sessions to RYA Advanced instructor courses, surfing and kayaking are given in beginners, intermediate and advanced courses and SUP can be learned in an hour taster or a half day session. Sailing courses are also RYA recognised and are for single and multi-hulled dinghies.

New to Wight Waters is the Kids Club on Sunday mornings between 10am and noon for children under 15 years. You can bring the kids down and join in kayaking /surfing /body boarding, all covered by fully qualified staff with safety boats in attendance. Also for kids are the splash sessions: two hour sessions with activities can be chosen as follows: kayak / body board / beach games, or a combination – very hands on and a whole lot of fun.

Rookie Lifeguarding runs on a Wednesday evening from 6pm till 8pm throughout the Summer with one of the Isle of Wight’s top life guard trainers running the programme. So if you think your kids would like to get involved, sign them up. The courses follow the basic adult programme, learning about what a life guard does, and the only requirement is that that anyone wishing to do these courses has a good level of swimming ability.

All equipment is provided, everything conforms to the various industry standards and there is always a safety boat for training sessions. The club stocks the latest Starboard windsurfing equipment and provide brand new Tushingham rigs of many sizes to suit juniors and adults. The safety boats are Bombardo inflatables with new `15 horse Mercury engines.

They have a massive range of open top canoes with some surf skis available for tuition or hire and the latest Surftec and Swell surfboards to take you from the basics right through to your first tube, all in the hands of their very experienced surf coaches. There are also two Dart 16’ catamarans and five new fun boats.

There is also the option to take out membership at Wight Waters for the season that will entitle members to half price hire on selected equipment plus free junior club and/or splash sessions for junior members.

Celebrities love it. Some say it’s the latest Hollywood exercise. Just to name drop then, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson Cindy Crawford do it; even Pierce Brosnan and Lewis Hamilton have dabbled in the world’s fastest growing water sport.

SUP or Stand-up Paddle-boarding is quite literally just standing on an oversized surfboard and powering through open water, similar to stand-up canoeing (if you’ve ever tried that) but with only one paddle. Converts say that just 30 minutes will work your body much harder than several hours of surfing. Cool, eh? But you don’t to be an A-list celebrity or an athlete to do it. The joy about SUP is that you can learn quickly and develop skills progressively. So virtually anyone can have a go.

The man who is helping to bring the increasingly popular sport to the Island is Ben Donald, who  launched his company, Pedal n Paddle last summer. Island born and Gurnard based, Ben,  a self-confessed water boy, has notched up time in Greece, Australia and Egypt teaching wind surfing. “ I started stand-up paddle boarding for fun in Australia five years ago, whenever there was no wind. I loved it so much I started to teach it because it’s such an accessible and versatile board sport,” explains Ben.

Stand up paddle boarding or in the Hawaiian language Hoe he’e nalu, is the fastest growing board sport in the world. What’s more you don’t have to be a surf dude to learn how to master it. SUP is a water sport for all ages and ability.  Under the expert guidance of resident teacher Ben Donald he teaches two-hour lessons to individuals, groups or families at a location of your choosing from Gurnard to Shanklin, Newtown, Colwell and Totland to the River Yar. “The Island lends itself very well to many different locations – you can surf on the boards or paddle on flat water. And it’s great for keeping up your fitness if you are a surfer or anyone wanting to keep fit while enjoying the water, so SUP has masses of appeal,” says Ben. “ It might be a craze now, but it’s a fashion that is here to stay.”

SUP might be the ‘Big New Thing’ here but it dates back to the Fifties, when Hawaiian beach boys stood on their long boards while teaching tourists to surf. It was introduced to California ten years ago where it initially became popular with surfers, who used it to paddle out to find the best waves. American surfers have since adopted SUP as an alternative offshoot of the real thing, as well as a core fitness activity. Not surprisingly there are now international competitions. “I’d love to see that happen here on the Isle of Wight,” muses Ben. “It would be great to organise some competitions on the Island as the sport really catches on.” So watch this space.

There are two divisions of the sport: beginners and those doing fitness training, who tend to ride small waves on big wide boards measuring 12ft by 31 inches; smaller boards – between 8ft and 10ft long – are suitable for bigger waves. Ben uses ingenious inflatable boards, which you can also buy or rent directly from him. “It’s an exciting product,’ he enthuses. “They roll-up and pack down small, so they are totally portable and you can transport them around without too much hassle. They are totally soft to land on and are completely indestructible!”  He boastfully adds he can pump up six boards in twenty minutes – a nice workout in itself.

The health benefits are plentiful. Experts say the combination of balancing and paddling is excellent for building core-body strength and improving arm and leg muscles. It’s also great for improving your fast-twitch muscles (crucial for balance and reaction time). As you indulge in an amazing workout you can sightsee simultaneously, taking in the magical delights of what the Isle of Wight has to offer on top of a gliding paddle. Better still, the more you progress, so does your SUP fitness. The safety issue behind the sport is simple too.  “Stay away from off-shore winds or strong winds and be aware of the tides – stick to areas of low or hide tide,” explains Ben.  “All beginners are provided with a buoyancy aid to start off with – and a wetsuit is advisable.”

Stand-up paddle boarding may be new to Britain, but as with all crazes, the Americans are now championing Paddleboard Yoga. Yes that’s right. Headstands, stretches, leg lifts, twirls, you name it. Hoe he’e nalu!

Oh all right then, we’ll share…

Sandy…

Compton & Brook – I know – such favourites and forever will be. There is nothing as stunning as Compton at low tide with all the rivers and pools of sun-warmed water to run and splash through.

Ryde – great for riding, kiting, and just about everything else really. The sand here is endless when the tide is out. Perfect for a day with the children building sandcastles.

Bembridge Beach – lovely sandy beach great for kayaking, sailing and kitesurfing and on the opposite side of the entrance to Bembridge Harbour is the wonderful sand dunes of the Duver at St Helen’s. Well worth a wander.

Adventurous & secret…

Chilton Chine – This has steep access down on to the beach but once there it is all sand and Jurassic style coastline. Walk right and you’ll come across some amazing rocks scattered on the beach that are so worn by the sea they look like a dinosaur has just laid down and died leaving his skeleton strewn along the sand.

Rocken End – a real gem this beach requires descent by rope and at the bottom comprises tiny shingle and sometimes crashing waves as the waters from the east and west collide at this most southerly point.

The Sandhard – this tiny beach is often completely overlooked. Hidden behind Yarmouth Harbour, the quickest way to get there is to grab a harbour taxi across the water and walk along the jetty to a lovely little spot with small sand dunes, BBQ and picnic area and pebbled beach directly out onto the Solent.

Retro…

Sandown & Shanklin – a must for arcades, stripy deckchairs, the pier and even donkey rides. The sand at Sandown is such a treat too.

Ventnor – vintage charm itself with the esplanade, framing a picturesque beach perfect for flying a kite or lazing in the sun.

By boat…

Scratchell’s Bay – only accessible by boat this tiny pebble beach sits hidden just the other side of The Needles below towering stacks of chalk cliffs going up to the Needle Old Battery above. With turquoise water that shelves deeply, perfect for swimming, you could be in the med…

New territory – the northern shore of the Island from Yarmouth to Newtown (along the Solent side) is a myriad of tiny private bits of beach that were made for exploring and having a good Barbie. Best approached by boat and beach anchored, they are also fantastic for collecting driftwood!

Stripped bare…

Yes – there are even beaches here on the Island where it is OK to get back to nature. As promoted by British Naturism there are naturist beaches at Culver Beach near Sandown, beneath Blackgang Chine and between Atherfield Point and Shepherds Chine. Go on I dare you…

The Big Wight Enduro begins from the base in Yarmouth and along the Causeway.  “An easy warm up of flat pedalling before getting to Freshwater and making the first big ascent of the day onto Afton Down with lovely views of the West Wight and coast,” explained Martin.

Next is a steep drop down past the ancient ‘five barrows’ and across the road and onto the next bridleway. Up onto Westover Down and then at the top you drop down through the woods – “a lovely broad and fast, fun descent,” said Martin. Across the road and you then climb into Brighstone Forest – “a steady grind up and crank up into the middle of the forest,” he explained.

“There’s then an extra spur through the forest tracks, keeping up high, with fairly level riding before bringing you back into a steep concealed descent into the bottom of the forest and through the valley below Cheverton Down. A very picturesque valley almost like a miniature Welsh valley,” thought Martin.

At the end of here you turn left and there’s a steep climb onto Idlecombe Down. “Stony, steep and fairly short but boy do you feel it,” remembered Martin.

From here there’s a lovely cruise on the main tracks down into Carisbrooke along Bowcombe Down. You then follow the lanes around Carisbrooke Castle and into tracks past Whitcombe Manor in the heart of the Island. Here there are big folds in the landscape, and steep climbs around the quarry at Garstones. Some quite hard climbs up and then onto Westridge down and on to the TV mast on Chillerton Down.

“A sketchy descent from here back down to the road and then south onto another bridleway with a stiff climb onto the ridge by Ramsdown Farm and you then follow lanes around the central part of the Island,” explained Martin. “This is a good chance to get your breath back and some feeling in your legs”.

Just west of Godshill you begin to start climbing the downs on the other side of the Island, through Redhill Farm, down into Wroxall and onto the bridleway that takes you on to the top of the downs above Bonchurch, with an amazing viewpoint at the end – 235m high.

“Here you turn north up to Shanklin Down and then there’s a mile of superb descending down onto St Martin’s Down and then another drop right down through Winston Farm at 60m. Across the road and through the Donkey sanctuary and then at the Undercliff at Gatcliff Farm you begin to climb again before striking south and making the steep climb onto Stenbury Down. It’s now just about keeping going but keeping your balance here – it’s a testing climb,” said Martin.

Up on Stenbury Down you’re on top of the Island with fantastic views west and then you ride down through Nettlecombe and into Whitwell. A few little lanes and then you climb again onto St Catherine’s Down and across the down to the Hoy Memorial. “A couple of switchback turns and a skitter descent and you’re at Gotten Farm, then up to Appleford Farm and crossing back through the middle part of the Island to Shorwell. That whole stretch is a chance to get your breath back,” said Martin.

Up through Shorwell, a road climb to the top of the hill and right across the ridge of Limerstone Down and this is the start of the direct run back to the finish. Dropping and climbing as that ridge takes you, gives fantastic views to the south.

Below Five Barrows you turn south into Compton Farm – “a slightly rougher and more technical ride than on the way out,” explained Martin. Onto the military road and there’s a stiff climb to the top of Afton Down and off the road and onto the golf course at the top. Then you drop down to the golf club and back onto the causeway to Yarmouth.

Not that I had any idea what the ‘colour of my personality’ was until I got there. Or indeed what it was likely to be. Was it the colours that I like? Was it the colours that suit me? Was it like those make-overs where they tell you whether you’re winter, spring, summer or autumn? It was all a bit up in the air until I got there.

So I was intrigued to find that it was none of the above when I met Theresa Sundt, the course leader. In fact our personality colour is determined by our date of birth it appears. The colours range through the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and then magenta and gold to make nine different hues that our personalities ‘resonate’ to.

And mine, not surprisingly for a lady of my standing, is gold I was told, which cheered me up no end. It seemed to be the best one to be according to what was revealed. “Gold personalities are humanitarian creatures who wish to save the world; their ambition is to serve others,” according to Teresa’s book ‘The Nine Colour Personalities’. Hmmm, well on a good day I suppose…

The next day we mapped out our colours on a circle and worked out those of our nearest and dearest. Then armed with this new knowledge about our personality colours we were encouraged to make works of art using ‘our’ colours and those of our families, and Teresa produced hanks of felting wool in every colour of the rainbow for us to work into felt pictures.

But gold is a bit of a difficult one, what with it being shiny and, well gold, so I had to be content with an orangey yellow. We also worked with the other colours that made up our personalities and mine were magenta and orange apparently. Not colours that I am readily drawn to, but I was happy to give it a go. And my family had indigo, yellow, green and red too so the result was a bit of an explosion in a paint factory.

Laying out our felt layers, then working them together with soapy water and then placing the result on a canvas was great fun. Then we left them to dry and to add glitter to the next day if we wished. Teresa gave individual colour readings and the atmosphere was fun and relaxing.

The following day it was ‘draw your mandala’ day and the picture I produced resembled a golden and magenta flower. I think you’re supposed to use these for meditation purposes.

After the course finished we were treated to slices of home-made quiche and wedges of yummy rocky road with our tea or coffee. Sat on the decking outside the hotel in the sunshine, looking down over the pretty garden, was the perfect end to the weekend of colourful activities.

And now I’m off to save the world….

The Grange offer weekend creative and holistic courses throughout the year, except high season when they just have their bed and breakfast guests. During the rest of April they have ‘Passion, Power & Presence’ over the weekend of April 13^th-15^th, ‘Writing from Life’ over April 20^th to 22^nd and ‘Hatha Yoga’ from April 27^th to 29^th and there are four more courses over the weekends in May and one in June.

Whether you are a professional or an amateur artist, or even a budding novelist or scriptwriter, there is a break that is prefect for you. Here are a few to get you in the mood…

Originally a Victorian rectory, Seahorses in Freshwater now offers bed and breakfast along with art courses in their studio in the garden. Some of the many activities on offer include mosaic, paper-mache, silk painting, sculpture, printing, water-colours and glass fusing with resident artist Boris Moskoff . The studio is in the large pretty three acre garden that has a footpath to the coast running right through it. There is also a self-catering cottage and families and dogs are welcome.

Paul Hewson at Wight Painting Holidays offers painting holiday breaks at his Wyke Regis art studio in Porchfield, which is between the picturesque estuary and town of Newtown and the popular sailing port of Cowes. Teaching with a step by step approach Paul limits his classes to six to ensure friendly individual attention.

The Grange is a Georgian country house in Shanklin Old Village that offers a whole host of courses including those in art, music and dance along with yoga weekends, writing courses and life coaching classes. An offshoot of Skyros Holistic Holidays the Grange has courses to appeal to every creative urge.

Gail Wright offers residential courses in painting from her Kirkwood Studio in Wootton where there are views down to Wootton Creek. Pupils are encouraged to bring their walking shoes as they are likely to be out and about sketching and painting around the Isle of Wight. There are four rooms at Kirkwood, where the house is full of Gail’s beautiful artwork, or you can opt to stay elsewhere and come on a daily basis. Gail was head of the Art department at nearby Ryde School for many years and trained under Howard Hodgkin at Chelsea Art College.

Write Away Breaks are based at Cliffways, a spacious home close to the cliff edge between Lake and Sandown, where Felicity Fair Thompson offers writing breaks for would-be screenwriters, poets and novelists. In fact whatever you want to write, Felicity can help you get your ideas down on paper. Write Away breaks are usually over a weekend and non-writing partners are welcome. Or if you want to incorporate a writing seminar in a family holiday at Cliffways this can also be arranged and non-residential workshops are another option.

Or for something completely different you might like to try your hand at ‘Channelled Art‘ at the House of Om in Godshill. Artist Nicola Gibbs runs classes in this new form of art, which has a spiritual dimension and you can use pastels, paints or opt to paint onto silk. Although these classes are not residential you could book to include one during your stay here on the Island.

With three breweries and 170 pubs within 147 square miles, beer and brewing are an essential part of Isle of Wight life. This is nothing new as the Island has a rich brewing history boasting dozens of breweries across the Island in the 19^th century. For the harvest workers on the Island at this time, ale was an essential daily drink evident in the unique Isle of Wight dialectal record, W H Long’s ‘An Isle of Wight Dictionary’. Here are just a few examples:

Lebb’n O’clock meant eleven o’clock, an allowance of beer taken at that time of day, during hay and harvest time but not to be confused with Nammet referring to a refreshment taken in the hay or harvest field at four in the afternoon, consisting of bread and cheese and a pint of strong beer ; the “nammet beer” being older and stronger than any supplied at other times of the day.

Nammet was carried to work in a traditional nammet basket which came with a close fitted lid, as seen here. These nammet baskets are made by artist and traditional basket maker Tim Johnson.

Field workers would have Rot Gut and Swizzle (small beers) brought to the fields at hay or corn harvest time in Puncheons, a small keg containing from three pints to a gallon or six quarts, and in warm weather a Trendle (a round shallow tub) was used for cooling the beer.

Beer was even celebrated in curing ills such as Tissick, an intermittent, tickling cough, which it was sung “Strong beer cures the gout, the colic, and the tissick, And it is for all men the very best of physic.” – a likely excuse for a tipple that is still used in pubs across the Island to this very day.

A bevy of breweries…

Out of the fields there were breweries aplenty across the whole Isle of Wight. The three present Island breweries follow this rich tradition of brewing within these hallowed shores. Fourteen breweries celebrated the arrival of the 20th century, and a far greater number had already closed by then. Ryde, alone, boasted eleven breweries in 1857, including several with tied estates, the Lake Huron for example, was owned by George Lake’s Eagle Brewery. Newport also had a number of breweries, including the largest on the Island, Mew Langton & Co.

There were also breweries in the smaller Island towns. The Village Inn at Bembridge occupies the site of a brewery which, according to Boulay’s ‘Bembridge Past and Present’ was where visiting ships “refreshed themselves with many a barrel of home-brewed ale”. Jack Phillips, who used to run the old Burts Brewery at Ventnor, also recalls a brewery adjacent to the Yarbridge at Brading, the ‘Isle of Wight Brewery’. However, only two breweries other than Mews survived beyond the 1930s.

Shanklin Brewery had been set up in 1864 and was very similar in size and style to neighbouring Burts in Ventnor. Unlike Burts, however, it had no tied estate, relying on a direct trade to local farm workers, which was subsequently supplemented by a door-to-door delivery round for local farms and private houses.

This absence of a guaranteed outlet for its “Battleship” beers meant, like modern micro-breweries, it was unable to compete with the national breweries, and, although the last owner did eventually acquire a small tied estate, the fashion for mergers had begun, and brewing ceased in 1953. Burts brewery had begun in 1844 under the ownership of one Charles Cundell, and was a major force on the Island brewing scene until its closure in 1992.  Its name was bought by Hartridges Brewery, until they themselves ceased operations in 1998.

Today the Isle of Wight continues to celebrate its hoppy heritage with 27 different ales being produced here across the year. Last year saw the first Isle of Wight Hop Festival celebrating traditional skills and the arrival of a wonderful new ale, Hoppiness, made by Goddards with local Boadica hops grown at Ventnor Botanic Garden, a must try when next frequenting one of the Island’s fantastic local pubs.

The Isle of Wight brewers were first to…

The history of Island brewing contains two firsts of dubious distinction.  A former owner of Shanklin Brewery, Saunders, was the first brewer to develop pasteurised beer, probably back in Edwardian times – his customers hated it and the experiment was abandoned – and Mew Langtons were the first brewer to introduce canned beer just after World War 1.

For more details on pubs and beer on the Isle of Wight, have a look at www.wightwash.org.uk

Booking is essential so contact Dinosaur Isle on (01983) 404344 to reserve a place, or book at the museum shop.

March

Yaverland

On Saturday March 17^th at 1.30pm there will be a walk from Dinosaur Isle along the beach at Yaverland, with the opportunity to see how the winter storms have affected the cliffs and beach.

April

Yaverland

Meet at Dinosaur Isle to join a walk along the beach at Yaverland:

Monday 2nd at 1.30pm

Tuesday 3rd at 2pm

Friday 6th (Good Friday) 3pm

Monday 9th (Easter Monday) 10am

Tuesday 10th 10am

Brook

Join a fossil walk at Brook beach, home of the dinosaur footprints that are uncovered at low tide.  Meet at the National Trust gravel car-park, Brook Chine, Brook Bay:

Wednesday 4th 1.30pm

Thursday 5th 2.30pm

Friday 13th 11am

Shanklin

On Wednesday 11^th at 9.30am and Thursday 12^th at 10.00am there are walks arranged at Shanklin – meet at the Lazy Waves Cafe, Shanklin Esplanade.

The sound track is Song for Lucy by Alex Roberts – head over to his website to download this and other fantastic music.

Also, Julian Winslow explains this Time Lapse on his blog A frame in the life

Six years ago the Gift to Nature project decided that enough was enough and to banish the blight of long winters without snowmen came up with a plan: let’s take a load of carrots and a couple of sacks of coal down to the beach and to the whole thing in sand instead. And that’s exactly what happened and what has happened every winter since on the lovely Small Hope Beach in Shanklin. Not just carrots and coal, hot chocolate – gallons of it.

So a gang of folks came down (and there are seasoned regulars amongst them now) with spades and scarfs and buckets and sticks and all manner of tools and decorations and between them they populated the  foreshore with extraordinary creations and wonderful characters. In return for a donation to G2N (which helps nature conservation projects around the Island) they were fortified with hot chocolate until the last SandmanSnowman was built and left for the tide  to slowly gather up the whole magnificent gallery for another year. Take a look here .

Sandmansnowman takes place every year, always at Small Hope beach in sunny winter Shanklin.

I’ll see you there next time.

Bring a JCB and some scaffolding.

January 23rd 2012 (Blue Monday)

Woke early. Still dark. Long day of work ahead. Need to go all the way to the other side of the Island today.

Get a cup of tea from the wife and a cuddle from the kids.

Things are looking up.

Leave for work, wave to my cousin’s partner and the kids and get 3 smiles in return. Then see my mate’s girlfriend so beep the horn, get a big wave back. Stop at the Freshwater CO-OP for some Isle of Wight cheese for my lunch, have 10 minute chat with fruit and veg man about weekend’s football then see the friend of a friend who fills the gap in my diary with a week’s work for next month. The checkout assistant bids me good day.

Drive off toward Military Road and see couple of mate’s on their way to work, acknowledge with a nod. On passing Freshwater Bay Golf Club get thumbs up from cousin’s brother-in-law. After brow of the hill admire one of the best views in the world. Although it’s a little overcast Compton Bay is a vibrant picture of white tipped waves breaking over the sandy yellow beach, backed by green fields stretching away toward the Island’s southern tip, and is inspiring.

Drive to Brighstone through Brook, Hulverstone and Mottistone, don’t see a car despite it technically being rush hour, but do see a lovely old fashioned pub and a ridiculously perfect archetypal manor house intermingled amongst farmland and quaint residential areas where old ladies lean against their shopping trolley’s and stop for a natter and housewives take a break from baking cakes to walk the children to school.

I continue on toward Seaview via the sweeping vista of Sandown Bay, passing through Luccombe and the Old Village at Shanklin.

At work my client makes me breakfast and we admire from his first floor lounge window the Spinnaker Tower over the Solent at Portsmouth and watching the kite surfer and dog walkers on Seaview beach.

I even manage to finish work early today so me, the wife and the kids grab the last hour of daylight and take the dog up to the chalk pit where the kids cover themselves and their bikes, and then consequently the car in mud.

But even that can’t dampen my mood…….

Blue Monday?

That theory doesn’t like ferry rides.

Yarmouth, for example, is great for an individual gift for someone special. Lovely designer clothes shops Blue and The Beach Hut cater from teenagers up to trendy third agers, the Deli has a fantastic range of food and Harwoods has so much more than just chandlery, with a extensive homeware section and great clothes too. Up the High Street, Drift has beautiful Buddhas, colourful Jerusalem glasses made in Gaza and a wonderful range of ethically sourced goods from around the world – all personally found by Katya and her husband John. Anne Toms’ Yarmouth Gallery has her stunning paintings, seagull covered ceramics by Neil Tregear, quirky sculptures and so much more that is all totally unique.

Cowes is obviously great for the sailor in your household, or your heart, and it has great smaller chains such as Fat Face, White Stuff and Joules. It’s perfect for the more upmarket stylish present and Angels Attic has loads of reasonable pretty party togs and Weirdfish has great t shirts for, well, the weirder fish of course.  Buff is a great shop to shop for the man in your life – be it your son, your other half or your dad – with quirky, designer and outrageous ideas – this shop will make you smile. Live Like This has lots of cool vintage and modern items that will have you drooling and Pelham House Gallery has lovely artwork from Island artists and others.

Ryde has a lot of charity shops but don’t sniff at this – they can be a great source of individual quirky gifts. It also has wonderful individual shops such as Crocus, Dilettante, Smith and Stephenson and for anything choclately there’s the Chocolate Apothecary opposite the pier. Flagship store The House of Zabre has opened where Liberties once stood and has beautiful fashion clothing to complement its handbag range, along with a lovely little café.

Ventnor is good for vintage, old, arty and stylish stuff such as Sophie Honeybourne’s unique hand-made jewellery and the delightful Suze’s Room that has the coolest things: a copy of Tretchiko’s green lady, gold decorated shot glasses with matching jugs and vases, lovely vintage and designer clothes, Poole pottery tea sets and all manner of dead good gear. The Ventnorian has the most wonderful wooden toys and the best sit-upon vintage style racing cars for kids on the Island, including a to-die-for red pedal saloon. This is also the place for all your eco goods, super scented soaps, Manuka honey and even cashew nut peanut butter.

Godshill is great for Fair Trade gifts from Daisy Daisy, all manner of stylish stuff including designer wear and handbags in the Old Smithy, stunning glass from Isle of Wight Glass, cider and country wines from the Cider Barn, chocolate galore from Chocolate Island and lovely soft furnishings and knick knacks from Style Interiors. Or you could buy a voucher for an art lesson with Nicola Gibbs at the Oracle Gallery or a treatment at the Rainbow Rooms in the former Christmas Cottage at the foot of the hill to Godshill Church.

And don’t overlook Shanklin, which was good enough for Johnny Depp so it’s good enough for you. The coolest man on the planet visited Shanklin Arcade and went into Edwina Hadgkiss’s quirky vintage emporium ‘Odds and Sods’ and spent some time looking into her jewellery cabinet. This shop is a commission sales agency and takes 25 per cent so you might like to take unwanted presents in to be sold.  Johnny also had a look in Volume One music shop where you might like to get something for the musician in your life. Artist Tony Trowbridge immortalised his visit by painting ‘Johnny Depp Stood Here’ on the pavement.

The plan so far is:

Itinerary Day 1

Cowes: A Red Funnel ferry over with a spot of Christmas shopping around Cowes.

Osbourne House: For November and December they have festively decorated the house and are giving hour long tours about Queen Victoria’s Christmas’s at the house.

The Garlic Farm: Lunch in their infamous restaurant and then a little time spent exploring the farm and shop for suitable novelty gifts for Christmas. My mum has been dying to visit this place for years having seen them on TV and at various markets on the mainland.

Isle of Wight Cheese: Hopefully we can visit the Isle of Wight Cheese company to stock up for Christmas. (Always worth calling ahead as they might be out delivering!)

Shanklin: Pop for a drive through Shanklin and a coffee at a scenic café…location yet to be found

The Taverners: A beautiful pub for an early evening drink.

The Royal Hotel: As a special treat Mum and Dad will be staying at the Royal Hotel, they have a fabulous offer this month for £80 per person you get a 3 course table d’hote dinner in their 2 AA Rosette restaurant and a beautiful room. I think they also do packages for longer stays and ferries included!

Itinerary Day 2

The Botanic Garden: Situated in Ventnor it benefits from a microclimate and has a subtropical and exotic plant collection. Dad being green fingered will love this and they are wheel chair friendly…..fingers crossed it’s a rain free day!

Dandelion Café: Down in Freshwater Bay, the Cafe benefits from beautiful views, after having driven across the coastal route from Ventnor, this will be the perfect spot to stop for tea and cake before our next activity.

The Needles: The New Battery has an exhibition on the secret British rocket tests carried out there during the Cold War. It’s at the top of the headland and here you get some stunning views of the needles. It is quite a trek up there but there is a bus that can take you and the café is open on the weekends at the moment.

Barefoot Beach Cafe in Colewell Bay will be a great place to stop for some lunch and enjoy the sea views once again.

Yarmouth: Quick stop off in Yarmouth for some final gift shopping by Mum, Dad can watch harbour life for a while.

Then back to Cowes for the ferry home.

Fingers crossed this will be a fun couple of days for the parents, any suggestions to add to the adventure are most welcome! I’ll let you know how it goes……

There were loads of folks out on the esplanade, the caffs were all full, the air smelt of seaweed, hot chocolate and eccles cakes,  small freezing dogs were being dragged up and down and the spray erupted from the seawall like Vesuvius.

One of the great things about stormy weather is the excellent beachcombing that follows – all manner of stuff to rummage through in search of valuable duck toys, mermaids, ancient bottled messages or perhaps more likely containers of Russian bleach and miles of wet rope you’re sure might be useful for something but actually isn’t.

But keep an eye out for these fabulous things: goose barnacles – not molluscs but filter-feeding crustaceans, travellers on the open seas attached to whatever they happen upon, in this case a nest of old egg wrack.

These were still alive on the sand near Sandown Pier, safe inside their 5-plated shells, at least for a while, and probably long enough to get out on the tide if they’re lucky.

We flung them back in to give them a fighting chance and then went back to bashing the foam with great slabs of kelp.

Have fun out there.

Spies, spooks, rockets and pirates at the Needles Battery

The Needles Battery has a whole timetable of events for the week and the New Battery has an artist, Katayoun Dowlatshahi, in residence on Friday October 28th to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launch of Prospero.

The activities on the Friday will run from 1pm till 5pm and include a team of 11 apprentices and engineers from Astrium demonstrating working (and very loud) pulse jet rockets on the concrete gantries and an interactive memory wall to encourage all those who work or have worked within the space industry, their families and friends, to donate photographs, artefacts as archives for the wall and to write significant memories to share with the public. The memory wall will become part of The National Trust archives.

Water Rockets – pump up your own water rockets and see how high they go. Rocket Races – create your own rocket out of tissue paper and balloons to race against each other, workshops start on the every hour. Decorate a lantern into a colourful rocket with tissue paper ready to launch at dusk.

At 2pm there is a talk ‘Space and Society’ a talk by guest speaker Richard Peckham who is the Business Development Director for Astrium in the UK and Chairman of UKSpace. At 3pm‘Prospero’ a talk by guest speaker from Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London. At 4pm there is a talk by guest speaker historian Nicolas Hill, author of the Vertical Empire. At 5pm there is a Black Arrow Model Rocket Launch.

Then at 5.10pm there is a count down to lantern launch at dusk (Please bring a battery powered torch for the walk back.) See the Quay Arts website for further details and to book.

Other activities during the week

Pirate Trail – Sunday October 23rd 10.30am – 3.30pm. Follow the clues to crack the secret code. No prize, just for fun.

Children at War – Tuesday October 25th. Discover what it would have been like to be a child during the war. Talks for children at 12.30pm, 1.30pm & 2.30pm

Drawing Magic - Wednesday October 26th 10.30am – 4pm. Join in a day of children’s drawing activities base on rockets and space. Materials provided.

Battle Drums – Thursday October 27th. Meet our Victorian military drummer and discover how commands were conveyed by drum on the battle field. Demonstrations at 12 noon, 1pm and 2.30pm

Pirate Trail - Friday October 28th 10.30am – 3.30pm. Follow the clues to crack the secret code. No prize, just for fun.

Spy Trail – Saturday October 29th 10.30am – 4pm. Follow the clues to crack the secret code. Normal admission charges. Free trail sheet (no prize, just spytacular fun).

Halloween trail – Sunday October 30th 10.30am – 4pm. Follow the spooky clues to crack the spine tingling code. No prize, just for fun.

Normal admission prices apply (National Trust members free). No additional charges for activities.

Beauty and the Beast at Shanklin Theatre

This is the Disney* musical version of this popular children’s story, not the panto, and the Island Savoyards are taking themselves to new heights in staging and performing this classic tale.

With the licence to perform this spectacular show, one of the most popular and enchanting romantic stories ever told, the Savoyards promise “extremely colourful and amazing costumes,” and an afternoon or evening to remember.

“Staging such a show will be a huge challenge which hopefully will take the company to new heights,” says their website. “It is a ‘one-off’, so bring family and friends along to experience the enchantement of Disney’s classical musical.”

Performances are on:

Thursday 27th October at 7.30pm

Friday 28th October at 7.30pm

Saturday 29th October at 2.30pm and 7.30pm

Sunday 30th October at 2.30pm

The Enchanted Forest at Chessell Pottery

Nestled beneath the downs and not far from the expansive forest of Brighstone, Chessell Pottery Barns have decided to use ‘The Enchanted Forest’ as inspiration for their half term pottery designing sessions.

You could opt for a walk in the forest before heading down to this idyllic converted farm with your children who can then have a go at making their own ‘Enchanted’ pottery designs. Easy-to-use decorating sponges will be out during the week with everything from leaves and acorns, to toadstools, woodland fairies, unicorns and lanterns.

The Enchanted Forest at Chessell Pottery runs from Monday October 24th to Friday October 28th and the attraction and shop are open from 9.30am to 5.30pm daily (closed on Mondays in term time). The studio fee is £5.50 per person and covers all materials, demonstration, glazing and firing and then you pay for whatever you’d like to decorate with prices starting at £5.95. All ages are welcome and there is disabled access and baby changing and free parking.

Chessell has been awarded ‘Best Island Cream Tea 2010/11’ from the Wight Good Food Guide for the second year running so, while the children are busy decorating you could treat yourself to an ‘Ultimate Island Cream Tea’. The Gift Barn stocks the largest range of Emma Bridgewater pottery on the Island plus cards, local arts and crafts and locally made preserves. It is also home to a range of Fair Trade, traditional and wooden toys as well as a selection of pocket money items.

*Beauty and the Beast, ‘Disney’ and associated artwork are the property and copyright of Disney and are used under the licence issued to the Island Savoyards to perform this show. © Disney