The Isle of Wight Conundrum

There are a lot of things I like about this south coast island, so before I start this isn't an attack on the place as I have a fair bit of family living there who enjoy many aspects of island life. Many say it’s England in miniature and in effect, it is, for good and for bad.

(Looking back towards Bembridge from the RNLI Lifeboat Station)

The Good

• The scenery is the epitome of picture postcard. From the winding Victorian streets of Brading and iconic chalky bumps of The Needles to the candy-striped deck chairs in Sandown and rolling downs to the south.
• The weather means growing season is considerably longer, the summers are like the English summers of old. Also it’s one of the last few places in the UK which is home to a native population of Red Squirrel.
• Being an island, it’s rich with naval history that plays right into the hands of our seafaring culture. And with places of interest like Carisbrooke Castle and Bembridge, it will always have that abundance in general history.

(Shanklin Chine, a wooded coastal ravine)

The Bad

• The traffic is by far the main peeve of the natives. I really fear that this 150 square-mile island can’t cope with the hordes of summer holiday-goers, not to mention the two summer festivals.
• Without sounding snobbish, but the ‘clientele’ that the island attracts doesn’t give it the rapport it deserves. Sandown Bay can be a sea of beer-bellies and football shirts in the height of late July & August.
• Which links me to my third point, sadly the establishments have really played to this ‘clientele’ with some dingy pubs & eateries that have popped up.

Then again, maybe I’m being harsh, as the island’s holiday appeal goes way back to the 1800’s. But then the critics would claim that it certainly isn’t the island they knew five or ten years ago. As much as I love this little English outcrop, I feel it’s slewed to the mass frenzy of trying to boost domestic holiday figures.

(The summit of Culver Down)

There are always talks of opening up an airport, and I for one hope they don’t. There’s approximately a mile and a half of dual carriageway road. Mainly comprising of minor A-roads, B-roads and the narrow village lanes, an airport would really run the Isle of Wight into the ground. Yes the ferries on average charge a bomb, but at what cost would you want to lose the attraction of this quaint place for a few more tourist pounds.

(Sandown Bay with the Pier to the right)

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