A step up from your standard staycation, the ferry ride brings that added element of excitement that comes with heading “overseas”. Yet it retains those other benefits of a domestic break. The Isle of Wight knows not the world of airport delays. Passport control queues shall not weary her, nor baggage handling strikes condemn. When I needed to return to Portsmouth on a slightly later departure, the change was made over the phone in less than a minute, by a human being, and without incurring any kind of charge. Try that on your next Ryanair flight.
You may know the island best for a school holiday in a damp hostel you’d rather forget. And yes, there are a few down-at-hell seaside resorts for which The Smiths’ record ‘Everyday is Like Sunday’ may have been written. But lately the island’s hospitality offering has grown up, and for every dog-eared seafront guesthouse, there’s a swish glamping retreat, elegant modern hotel or AA rosette restaurant.
The final clincher? According to Met Office data, it’s officially the UK’s sunniest place, which – given what’s currently masquerading as the great British summer – seems vital. A typical year sees 1,923 hours of recorded rays, a shade above Bognor’s 1,921 and well in excess of the UK average of 1,403. Ventnor’s Botanic Gardens even has its own olive grove.
There are no guarantees, of course. My visit earlier this month, with my wife and our two-year-old daughter, coincided with two full days of pelting rain and another of gale-force winds. My sunglasses, Ambre Soleil and stash of rosé wine gathered dust, mocking my optimism. But when the storm clouds finally broke, the sun bounced off the Western Yar river and the sound of pealing bells echoed across the valley from Freshwater’s All Saints Church, I could think of nowhere I’d rather be.
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/isle-of-wight/time-warp-island-isle-of-wight-holiday-perma-crisis/
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Publish date : 2023-07-29 03:00:00
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