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Wight stuff for a great break
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WHEN celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar reach a climax on the waters of The Solent this summer, the Isle of Wight will offer a ringside seat.
And if Nelson returns for his own party, I can picture him taking lunch at the yacht club in the trendy nautical village of Seaview - before lifting a telescope to his good eye for the procession of 150 ships from more than 40 of the world's navies in The International Fleet Review off Spithead on June 28.
While Portsmouth bulges with tourists, cannier visitors might look
to base themselves on the Isle of Wight - with its vast choice of guest
houses, hotels and holiday homes - and take day trips to the mainland for events.
If the crowds get too much, they can retreat to the quiet corners of an island which offers some of the best family holidays in Britain.
Queen Victoria had a similar idea when she turned her back on London after the death of her adored husband Prince Albert - and spent most of her reign at Osborne House, just outside Cowes.
A multi-million pound restoration of the great house and grounds offers a fascinating glimpse of the grandeur of Royal life more than a century ago - and an impressive English Heritage restaurant on the terrace is a great way to conclude your visit.
But when the sun shines, everybody heads for the beach - particularly to the major resorts of Sandown and Shanklin. Altogether, there are 13 blue flag beaches and Alum Chine - where a chairlift whisks you from clifftop to beach - offers a famous view of The Needles.
The long, sandy beach at Colwell Bay, West Wight's busiest resort, is a big hit with the locals and visitors. Steephill Cove, at Ventnor, is a beach reminiscent of a 1950s postcard, its ramshackle wooden restaurant perched above the waves.
If beaches aren't your thing, there are plenty of other places to visit. Try ancient Carisbrooke Castle, where Charles I lingered before his execution, or Blackgang Chine - voted top tourist attraction on the island - which has been described as "a Disneyland designed by Enid Blyton". It includes a water ride, full-sized cowboy town, dinosaurs looming out of every hedge and a pirate ship.
Or take a ride on the only London Underground train operating outside the capital on a route from Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin, via Sandown and Brading - for just £3.80.
And with about 500 miles of footpaths, walkers are in seventh heaven.
Although seven-night family holidays on the Isle of Wight start at little over £400, including ferry crossings, until late July, you can spend a similar amount on a weekend break in one of the grander hotels now that trendy hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants have arrived on the island.
Our favourite remains the Royal Hotel at Ventnor. The food and service is so good, that many of its guests treat themselves to regular visits as a booster when life on the UK mainland gets too much. It also has magnificient views of Ventnor itself.
In one direction lies the splendid Ventnor Botanic Gardens, its
plants and shrubs blooming so far ahead of the rest of southern England that the place must be touched by the magical warmth of Gulf Stream breezes.
In the other direction lies the tiny community of Bonchurch, little changed since it beguiled Charles Dickens and fellow writers in its heyday in the 1850s and 1860s.
Bonchurch includes a tiny parish church, an old-fashioned village store and post office, and now Pond Cafe - a restaurant grand enough to be
visited by top food writers.
I found the place, by accident, on a breezy early morning jog along the shore. Only on the Isle of Wight, I fancy, could you stumble on anything so delightfully detached from the fads and fashions of modern day life.
TRAVEL FACTS
Jeremy Gates was a guest of Red Funnel Holidays which offers two nights' half-board at The Royal Hotel in Ventnor from £182, including return ferries between Southampton and East Cowes.
Red Funnel currently offers two night B&B breaks on the Isle of Wight from £63 per person at the Lyndhurst Hotel in Sandown, within walking distance of sandy beaches. l Reservations: Red Funnel Holidays (0870 444 8890) or visit www.redfunnelholidays.co.uk
Information: Isle of Wight Tourism (01983 813 800 or www.islandbreaks.co.uk).
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