Visit Isle Of Wight! The Isle of Wight is known for yachting and its sandy beaches and its ports. The island has attracted literary figures including Alfred Lord Tennyson and Charles Dickens. Tennyson wrote his beloved poem "Crossing the Bar" en route across the Solent from Lymington to Yarmouth. Come to relax and enjoy the natural beauty. Yarmouth is a busy little harbor providing a mooring for yachts. Cowes is the premier port for yachting in Britain.

Henry VIII ordered the castle built here, but it's now the headquarters of the Royal Yacht Squadron. The seafront, the Prince's Green, and the high cliff road are worth exploring. Hovercraft are built in the town, which is also the home and birthplace of the well-known maritime photographer Beken of Cowes. In winter, everyone wears oilskins and wellies, leaving a wet trail behind them.

Newport, a bustling market town in the heart of the island, is the capital and has long been a favorite of British royalty. Sandown Bay has held the British annual sunshine record more times than any other resort. Keats once lived in Shanklin's Old Village. Farther along the coast, Ventnor is called the "Madeira of England" because it rises from the sea in a series of steep hills. On the west coast are the many-colored sand cliffs of Alum Bay. The Needles, three giant chalk rocks, and the Needles Lighthouse, are the farther features of interest at this end of the island.