Isle of Wight holiday guide: 'I visited the sunniest place in the UK - here's where you should stay'
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Ralph Blackburn boarded the ferry for a break on the Isle of Wight and discovered that the island had retained much of its Victorian splendour but had also kept in step with the times.
Looking down from Osborne House towards the Solent, it is easy to see why Queen Victoria fell in love with this spot.
Past the perfectly manicured lawns and rich forest, lies a peaceful beach overlooking the bright blue sea.
It was here that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert taught their children to swim, plant fruit and vegetables and learn about the Isle of Wight’s flora and fauna.
In fact, on the bright summer’s day that I visit, the view over the Solent is likely to be pretty similar to that of the Queen and her family in the 19th century.
There is a decent breeze and so the channel is looking a picture, full of sailing boats merrily cutting through the swell. In the distance, Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower is the biggest indication that I am in fact visiting the island in the 21st century. And Osborne House certainly takes you back in time.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought the building in 1845, and knocked it down before building the sprawling manor of Osborne House as it currently stands.
The Prince had the Swiss Cottage built near the private beach to remind him of his continental roots, and here the children would play and learn how to grow plants.
They couple used to spend their birthdays at palatial mansion, however after Albert’s death at the age of 42 in 1861 the grieving Queen stopped celebrating her birthday on the island.
She would still spend a lot of time at Osborne House, eventually dying in the mansion in 1901.
The buildings and gardens in East Cowes, now operated by English Heritage, give a fascinating insight into the private life of one of the country’s most reserved monarchs. It’s £32 for adults if you buy a ticket with a donation on the day, however you save £5 by booking in advance.
How to get there - WightLink runs dozens of services every day from Portsmouth to Fishbourne and Ryde, and also Lymington to Yarmouth. The Ryde service is a 22-minute hydrofoil for foot passengers only, while the other two are for car passengers and last around 45 minutes. Book here.
Where to stay - The Terrace Ventnor is stunning six-room bolthole right on the beach. Double rooms including the four-course breakfast start at £200, depending on the time of booking.
Where to eat - On the weekends, owner Tom Fahey cooks for up to 14 guests using only Isle of Wight produce. Prices are from £80 for dinner with an optional £50 wine pairing.
Even if you are not interested in royal history, the gardens are lovely to walk around on a summer’s day. Families can also hang out at the beach, which, as mentioned, has a spectacular view back over the Solent towards England. It is a great first stop on a visit to the Isle of Wight, a part of England that is underrated by many holidaygoers.
Despite being the sunniest place in the country, many forgo the ‘Sunshine Isle’ for a long drive to Devon or Cornwall. However, on my visit to the Isle of Wight I discovered spectacular beaches, great walks and plenty of history.
Nowhere on the island is much more than a 40-minute drive, and it’s a short half-hour hop from the ferry terminal to The Terrace Rooms and Wine, in Ventnor, on the south-east coast where we are staying.
The island lives up to its name, as we wiggle down from Ventnor Downs to the hotel, with a stunning seaside view, the mist breaks and the sun comes out.
The Terrace, which is right on the front, was originally St Augustine Villa built in the 1840s. It partly inspired Prince Albert’s designs for Osborne House a few years later, and you can see several similarities.
Now it has been renovated and modernised spectacularly by owners Tom and Ashley Fahey, who bought and restored the property in 2021.
There are six stunning rooms, each with a spectacular sea view, which have such refined interior decor you will not want to leave. In ours, there are two lovely seating nooks overlooking Ventnor’s famous gold-shingle beach, while one room has an annex to cater for families.
The Terrace’s pergola is perfect for an evening drink and the famous four-course breakfast in the morning, while there is also a sundeck to catch up on your reading.
It’s less than a minute walk from the beach, so I took a refreshing, if bracing, dip ahead of the evening’s wine tasting and dinner.
Owner Tom runs wine tastings for guests every night at around 5.30pm, from the atmospheric wine cave which hosts almost a thousand different bottles.
Every Friday, he cooks a five-course fine dining meal, using almost exclusively Isle of Wight produce, which comes with, of course, wine pairings.
The only products that don’t come from the island in dinner are sugar, salt, neutral oils and some vinegar. We’re treated to a tartare of sea bass and lobster cocktail, both fresh from the harbour a few metres away.
There’s then Isle of Wight venison and lamb, with a rich and indulgent burnt butter and honey tart for dessert.
For walks, Ventnor is part of the Charles Dickens trail which runs from Shanklin to Bonchurch, taking in some spectacular views from the downs above the seaside towns.
The author was born in Portsmouth and used to regularly visit the Isle of Wight, with Charles and Margaret Dick, from Ventnor, thought to inspire characters in David Copperfield and Great Expectations.
At the far west of the island, taking in the famous Needles rocks, is the Tennyson Trail across Tennyson Down and Alum Bay.
Lord Alfred Tennyson, the Poet Laureate during Queen Victoria’s reign, was inspired to move to the island by John Keats, another famous poet who settled on the Isle of Wight.
The full 14-mile walk goes from Newport to the Needles, culminating with the Tennyson Monument, which stands aloft above Freshwater Bay, where the poet lived.
However, we did a short loop from the Needles carpark around Tennyson Down which took about 45-minutes, and were treated to spectacular views in bright sunshine.
Finally, before hopping on the ferry back to the mainland, we have time for an enormous portion of fish and chips for dinner at Wight’s in Ryde.