The Isle of Wight: How to holiday in Yarmouth

Less than half an hour's hop across the Solent, The Isle of Wight remains one of England's most accessible island retreats. Earlier this month, I spent a spectacular weekend on Wight, just outside the town of Yarmouth, where we walked, ran, fished, surfed, dined, drank and soaked up the sights.

Yarmouth - Isle of Wight

Here's how to repeat the experience...

Getting there

On foot – A  high-speed catamaran service runs between Portsmouth Train Station and Ryde (Iow), with a journey time of 20 minutes. Foot passengers can also take the slower, but cheaper, car ferry from Portsmouth harbour (a 10 minute walk from Portsmouth train station). To arrive in Yarmouth itself, from Lymington Pier (New Forest)  take the Wight Link ferry directly to Yarmouth. Details of all services can be found at the Wight Link website. Alternatively, Red Funnel operate the service from Southampton to East Cowes.When on the island, The Isle of Wight also runs a very effective public transport service – see Island Buses.

By car – Car ferries leave hourly, every day of the week between Portsmouth and Ryde; Southampton and East Cowes; and Lyminton and Yarmouth. See the Wight Link or Red Funnel website.

Staying there

With a family of 6, a baby and a dog - Fulfilling the needs of our ever-growing family, we stayed at Treetops holiday cottage, just outside Yarmouth. We choose this three bedroom bungalow for its spacious lounge and huge landscaped garden - ideal for bbq, lawn games and Twiglet the dog.

Up to 8 people: There's plenty of options for larger lodgings. For something even bigger, this fresh, light and spacious cottage is well-equipped and offers an additional cot room, if needed: Cottage for 8.

A family of 4: Yarmouth has lots to choose from in the way of 2-beds too: This snug cottage maybe overly cosy but it's superbly central, if getting to the shops, restaurants and drinking holes is more important than personal space.

As a couple: From B&Bs to luxury hotels, couples can take their pick...

Medlars - think quaint country cottage with crisp linen  

The George hotel - expect panelled walls, four poster beds and views across the solent (luxury). 

The Bugle Inn - Basic rooms in a central location

The Boat House -  An open plan studio apartment in a converted boathouse that sits right on the beach.

Where to...

Have coffee in the sun: Norton Grange has a spectacular waterfront coffee lounge, set on manicured lawns that overlook the Solent.  A five minute walk from  Treetops holiday cottage, or Yarmouth town.

Norton Grange coffee spot

Have coffee when it’s wet: The Gossips Café in Yarmouth town is a fantastic little find, with great views across the Solent.  We went for yummy cream-teas and  delicious ice-creams when a storm was brewing and watched the boats struggle in the winds.

Gossips Cafe

Drink wine by the water: By far the best place in Yarmouth for outside drinking is the George Hotel. Don't be put off by the quieter than quiet lobby or the subdued bar area - walk right through to the back and you'll find a beer garden to beat any, at just the right angle to catch the evening rays.

The 'beer garden' at the George Hotel

Have a few pints:  The Bugle Inn  was our favourite drinking hole in Yarmouth. With a decked beer garden and plenty of cubby-holes and booth areas to sit in, there's a good vibe here and always plenty of seating. The menu looked good too.

Eat somewhere a bit different: Salty’s fish restaurant, in Yarmouth, is reputed to be one of the best, as well as most interesting, places to eat on the island. However, it was closed (without explanation) when we were there. Plan B was to try On the Rocks, where you can cook your own steaks and seafood on black volcanic rocks. Sadly, another dead end for us, so we ended up at the Red Lion in Freshwater, where the food was fine and the landlord fantastically friendly.

Salty's - when open

Buy the best bread:The Deli in the centre of Yarmouth bakes delicious fresh loaves – not to be missed! Also a good place to pick up cheeses and luxury versions of most groceries, from gourmet granola to posh pasta - although Cost Cutter, across the road, is far cheaper.

How to…

Walk to The Needles: The Isle of Wight Coastal Path run right through Yarmouth Town and starts just a few paces from Treetops holiday cottage. The seven mile stroll to the Island’s most iconic feature takes you along sandy beaches, walking through woods and clambering along cliff-tops. Follow the footpath as far as the Needles and catch a bus back to Yarmouth, or carry on as far as Brighstone (14 miles).   Be sure to stop off at Barefoot on the Beach cafe and restaurant in Colwell Bay for teas, local ice-creams or lunch. They also do evening meals, which range from moules frites, to beef and oyster pie with wasabi mash. See this map of the walking route for details.

The Needles - a landmark not to be missed

Go surfing: The Isle of Wight’s best surf beach is just a few miles drive away at Freshwater Bay. Compton Bay is also an option. Hire boards and book lessons with the island's mobile surf school.

Surf lessons in the Isle of Wight

Go mackerel fishing: Black Rock Charters offer mackerel spinning trips between May and September on their 31ft boat, complete with a loo and a galley. Other trips on offer include private charters and full day fishing trips.

Ready for the barbeque

Swim safely in the sea: Yarmouth’s bathing area is clearly marked with a ring of yellow buoys, and can be found just to the west of the river. We took a dip and found the water to be spectacularly clear and funny-stuff-free. The beach itself is also pleasant and the sunken wooden groynes make an ideal perch for drying wet feet.

Go for an easy pub walk: There are plenty of pubs in Yarmouth itself, but if you want to amble for your ale, follow the F1 Freshwater footpath to the Red Lion. The footpath takes in stunning views down towards the harbour, as you stroll through fields of clover, bluebells, buttercups and black sheep.  It’s a beautiful 1.5 mile walk to the pub, where the food is good and the landlord is fantastically welcoming – just don’t forget to switch off your phone as the Red Lion is a mobile-free zone and any offenders will be required to pay a £1 fine to the RNLI.

If teas and cakes are more your thing, stop just before the pub at the Kings Manor Farm and enjoy clotted cream and scones in the sun. You can also stock up on meat and cheese at the farm shops.

Have a hearty morning run: You can’t beat a morning run along the beach, through a field, wood or along a river – at Yarmouth you get all four. Set off along the F1 towards the Red Lion. At the Red Lion, turn left towards Freshwater Bay and then break off left again to run back to Yarmouth along the marked bridleway. This wide path taking you through the woods and back into Yarmouth harbour along the river. Cross the road at Yarmouth to jog home along the seafront (stopping off for a dip in the bathing area if it takes your fancy) and then back to Treetops along the road. A fantastic four mile start to the day!

A round-up of my trips this year

So far, 2012 has seen me swimming in Antarctica, riding waves in Morocco and walking on Wight. here's a quick round-up of 2012 so far:

January

Antarctica: I spent three weeks at the end of the world, travelling onboard the M/S Expedition with G-Adventures - see January and February's Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica, blog posts for the highlights. The trip was a prize for winning The Guardian's Adventure Travel Writing competition 2012. An article about my experiences 'down south' will be featured in the Guardian's travel pages later this year.

February

Dorset & The New Forest: Having thawed out from Antarctica, I took a group of A-level Geography students to two of my favourite UK travel destinations: Studland Bay and The New Forest. White-sanded beaches, unseasonally warm weather, New Forest Ponies and the smell of pine needles... there really is no need to travel to the ends of the earth to feel completely contented. Some of the highlights included afternoon teas at Acres Down Farm and cream buns in Lyndhurst - both cake-related activities, I know.

March

Northern Ireland: On commission with The Mail on Sunday I visited Belfast to celebrate the official opening of Titanic Belfast - now the biggest Titanic experience in the world. Read my full article at The Mail Online: Putting Northern Ireland's Capital back on the Map.

April

Morocco: Writing for TNT Magazine, I spent a week at Surf Maroc, in Taghazout, as a member of a 'girls only' surf camp. Alongside surfing down the face of double-overhead waves and soaring through barrels (yeah, right), the complete package included souk shopping, Moroccan hammams and massages, traditional teas and film evenings - pretty much my ideal holiday! To find out more, read my article at TNT online: Babes on Boards; or flick to p70 of the TNT emag.

French Alps: Travelling with the superb YSE Chalets and catching a lift back to the airport with the super-efficient Snowdrop Transfers, I spent a long weekend in Val d'Isere, chasing 'fluro-onesies', straight-skiers and mono-boards around the mountain. To find out more, you'll have to wait to read my article in Ski and Board Magazine later in the year...

May

Isle of Wight: Popping over for the Isle of Wight Walking Festival, I'm in the process of testing-out a stack of shiny new gear from Berghaus. So far, my Exterra Trek walking boots have stomped from Yarmouth to The Needles, and tried to catch up with the end of 'Walk the Wight' - a 26 mile yomp from Bembridge to the Needles.

Upcoming trips...

May: Next weekend I'll be journeying down to Devon for a weekend of surfing in Bigbury Bay and rowing up the River Yealm, at Newton Ferrers.

June: Fingers crossed for the weather, as I'll be exploring my home city of Brighton, as well as Canadian canoeing down the River Wye, stepping out on the brand new All Wales Coastpath and, if time permits, popping over to Northern Spain to check out the early summer swells.

July: It's off to the Scilly Isles for me this summer. I'll be discovering how to do the 'Scillies on a shoestring', experiencing the more extreme side of the Scillys, as well as exploring the uninhabited islands of one of England's largest archipelagos. I'll be writing for The Online Travel Journal and am looking to take on more commissions - feel free to contact me from content!

August: On my annual pilgrimage to Menorca, I'll be looking forward to seeing the Cami de Cavalls footpath restoration one year one, as well as exploring as many of the island's hidden beaches and coves via kayak.

Sport Diver Awards 2012

The dive gloves are off! Sport Diver Magazine has announced the launch of its 2012 scuba-diving awards and the votes are already coming in. This is your chance to support your favourite people, places, manufacturers and business in the dive market. Voting is open throughout February and March, with the winners announced at the London International Dive Show in late-March.

In addition to promoting excellence in the dive industry, voters will also be in with a chance of winning one of two prize packages, each worth around £5,500. Both prize packages include a week-long Red Sea liveaboard holiday, as well as a stack of scuba equipment.

Prize one’s Red Sea liveaboard prize is courtesy of blue o two and includes a 5mm O’Neill wetsuit, Otter Watersports drysuit, dive computer, BCD, hoses and regs, Epoque camera and housing, underwater photography course and loads more. Prize two’s Red Sea liveaboard holiday is courtesy of Scuba Travel and includes a 3mm Proteus wetsuit and Robin Hood Watersports drysuit, with hoses, regs and stacks more scuba stuff provided by other top brands.

THE CATEGORIES:

Best Manufacturer (Code: MANS)
The brand that you think can be relied on every-time, to deliver top-notch, unparalleled gear, without fail.

Best Tour Operator (Code: TOUR)
The company that has provided your best-ever dive experiences, helping you to plan your perfect trip and offering expert advice along the way (and ‘yes’, you can vote for Planet Dive here!)

Best Liveaboard (Code: LIVE)
If you’ve stayed on a fantastic liveaboard that was well-run with attentive staff and an astounding
itinerary, vote for them here.

Best UK Dive Centre (Code: UK)
Which local dive centre truly embraces the spirit of UK diving? Perhaps they organise outstanding trips; host excellent parties; or are true experts in your local area...

Best Overseas Dive Centre (Code: OS)
Who shines in the competitive overseas dive market? Is there one centre that truly stands out from the rest?

Best Retailer (Code: RETAIL)
Which shop/retailer always stocks the best kit, offers affordable prices, expert advice and spectacular customer service?

Best Product (Code: PROD)
What’s the one bit of kit you love more than anything else in the world? Your super-comfy rash vest? Your uber-cool BCD? Your speedy pair of fins? Share the love by voting here.

Best PADI Instructor (Code: PADI)
Big-up your instructor here by texting the name of the person who confidently, safely and expertly guided you through a PADI course, whether it was your Open Water or Assistant Instructor.

Best dive-related website (Code: WEB)

Which dive website do you consider a real hub in the scuba community? Which so you always come back to for holidays, gear tips and scuba news? - your second chance to vote for us!

[CODE] [ANSWER] [EMAIL]
To vote, send in a text to 80058 stating which category you’d like to vote in, along with the name of the organisation/brand/person you’d like to nominate and your email address.

Texts cost 50p plus your standard network rate, and you get a free text for every two paid-for texts – you can vote as many times as you like for different categories.

Vanishing Ice 27/1/2012

As infinite and diverse as clouds 

Our final day on the peninsula carried a subdued undertone, as we boarded the Zodiacs for the last time. After visiting the Chilean research base at Paradise Bay, we cruised the waters one last time, still transfixed by the world of ice sculptures and glaciers that rose and crumbled, bobbed and swayed around us...

Final kayak cruise through the Antarctic waters

The luminous underbelly of Antarctic ice

Overwhelming glaciers near the Chilean base

We beached the Zodiac on snowy pancakes and starred at seals whose gashed sides and bloody mouths reminded us again of the everyday survival game played out; we pulled up besides penguin colonies to smell the familiar pong of penguin poo and regurgitated krill for the last time; we watched the popping chests and peach coloured-beaks of the gentoos as they heralded our departure with resounding calls; we starred through the clear water beneath our boat as penguins darted beneath us, flashing their white chests and pink feet as the propelled themselves across the surface;  we pulled up beside the crumbling snout of an exposed glacier and sat in silence, gazing at its fissured surface, tracing our eyes over the intracity of the ruptured ice and glowing crevases; we drew breath as detonated blocks collapsed into the water and sent waves across the surface that rocked our Zodiac; we followed nuggets of ice as they drifted on currents; listened as freshly calved ice fizzed and crackled in the water; deciphered the contorted shapes of elaborate iceberg sculptures and starred at the luminous-blue bellies that glowed beneath.

Final Zodiac cruise in Antarctica

Endless ice sculptures in Antarctica

The waves created by recently carved ice

 "As diverse and infinite as clouds" John - our Zodiac driver and ship's naturalist - remarked, sensing our ceaseless fascination with Antarctica's frozen vistas.

The soft skin of a crabeater seal

So-long seals -sating goodbye to Antarctica's inhabtants

Reflections and depths of Antarctica's ice

Gentoos at the Chilean base

Departure
We stayed out on deck to watch Antarctica melt away, each of us willing the ice to close back in. But as the ship gained speed, the landscape of white gorges and unnamed Antarctic peaks dissolved to give clear horizons and towering bergs became occasional ice-cubes in the open sea. It's with heavy hearts that we leave Antarctica behind and begin our passage back to Ushuaia, across the whale-playground of the Gerlache Strait and brave it through the notorious Drake Passage, past the infamous Cape Horn and back to Argentina via the Beagle Channel.

Gentoo chicks at the Chilean base 

At the Chilean base on the Antarctic Peninsular

Time to head home 

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

Port Lockroy 26/1/2012

We visited the the British base of Port Lockroy after supper; in January, this far south - at 64º49’S, 63º30’W - the sun never quite makes it below the horizon and so we made the most of the long evening, exploring the base and nearby gentoo colony until almost 11pm.

Port Lockroy - the original base of the British Antarctic Survey

Gentoos wave to the M/S Expedition at Port Lockroy

Designated a Historic Site in 1994, Port Lockroy - which sits on Goudier Island - was renovated by The British Antarctic Survey in 1996 and has since welcomed visitors. With the original base, living quarters and scientific equipment preserved, this site gives a fascinating glimpse into the early years of Antarctic research and survival. Despite the humble conditions and lack of hot water, the quaint kitchen and living quarters breathed an element of home and comfort into the icy Antarctic world, particularly when viewed through the panes of the kitchen window or modest bedroom, whose view of the resident glaciers and gentoo penguin colony was framed with gingham curtains.

The kitchen at Port Lockroy, Antarctica

An original bedroom - complete with gingham curtains

Today, Port Lockroy is home to a handful of volunteers and scientists, who maintain the gift-shop and museum, and carry out daily surveys of the gentoo penguins that occupy  Goudier Island. With strict environmental controls still in place, despite occupying newer living quarters built alongside  the original, even today's BAS representatives survive here without hot water and make do by boiling up pans of ice. Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

The original comms room at Port Lockroy, Antarctica

2012's accommodation has no hot water

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

Into the Ice: 26/1/2012

Out on deck: the M/S Expedition

Our passage towards the Antarctic Peninsula becomes increasingly ice-filled with every passing moment. Dispersed cubes have changed to broken-up brash ice and bobbing growlers, which have now begun to fuse, turning the horizon from a swelling ice-blue sea to a disjointed view of bobbing white pancakes.

The sea becomes choked with ice as we near the Antarctic Peninsular

Memorised by the sea-ice, it's become impossible to stay inside the ship, just in case you miss a particularly large berg, the parting of a perfect sheet, a reclining crab-eater seal or a sun-bathing leopard seal.

Nothing but ice...and penguins

Zodiac Ice-Cruise
So far, Zodiac cruises from the ship have been an opportunity to feel the thrill of speed, as we've opened the throttle and planed across the waters, bouncing over white-caps and clutching onto the safety rope with the wind whipping at our faces. But today's Zodiac ride administered a silent  and more concentrated dose of adrenaline.

The journey to the Antarctic Peninsular

We had to wait for the ice to be cleared before we boarded the Zodiacs - a ceaseless job breaking up the ice-pancakes and propelling the floes away with a continually running Zodiac engine. With a pool just large enough for us to gain a little momentum, our boat began pushing through the porridge-like slush, pausing every now and then to lever the larger pieces of ice aside with an oar or to shove the bow, when it became wedged on the ice.

Zodiacs wedged on ice

Pushing through the ice

As we forced our way through the choked waters, transfixed on the endless landscape of sculpted ice and bobbing plates, we cruised within metres of lazy weddell seals, whose soft-looking flanks bore the red scars of whale attacks and whose pale fur made a halo of light around their cat-like faces as they twitched their black-whiskered noses and blinked back at us with ice-frosted lashes.

Seal City

Sea kayaks venture out

For the first time on our expedition, we cruised on  the Zodiac without our usual whoops and cheers, listening instead as the icy breezes carried the gentle chorus of  gentoo penguins, the slosh of the reflective waters between and beneath the ice-plates and the mumur of our engine or splutter of the propeller as it became choked in ice.

Zodiacs make a slow journey through the ice

The ice-clad M/S Expedition

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures

Deception Island 24/1/2012

The desolate landscape at Deception Island, South Shetlands

 From the impossible anchorage at Elephant Island, to one of the safest harbours in Antarctica: today we swam in the open mouth of an active volcano. The landscape at Deception Island bears zero resemblance to any of the penguin-populated beaches, ice-clad coastlines and fur-seal filled landings that we've experienced so far.

Volcanic cliffs at Deception Island

Despite its gloomy appearance, the blackened beach at Deception has been a refuge from the Antarctic storms for sealers, whalers and explorers, since the early 19th century. Today, the island is unoccupied, and whilst a few rusting boilers and tanks of a 19th century Norwegian-Chilean whaling company remain, other structures have since been buried in volcanic eruptions - most notably, the 1969 eruption. With a history of British, Argentinian and Chilean occupation, today the island is visited by cruise-ships and the occasional Argentinian - the latter seeming most intent on maintaining a presence here.

Gearing up for our second polar plunge

In with a splash: swimming in the Antarctic waters of the caldera

And straight back out again - brrrrr!

For us, the most exciting aspect of Deception island was the opportunity for an Antarctic swim and thermal bath. Tossing my clothes onto the volcanic beach and sprinting through the snow into the icy waters of the caldera, I managed a good 30 seconds in the sea, before I charged back to the shore to plunge my hands and feet into the hot earth: just a few centimetres below the surface, the ground becomes so hot that it starts to burn at your fingertips and toes. I relished the burn as it soothed away the numbness in my big toes and, after a bit of wriggling around, managed to find a comfortable position lying face-first on the shore, that almost struck a balance between the intense heat of the ground and the icy chill of the lapping waters...almost.

Thermal sands and ice-cold water at Deception Island

Thermal sands or not, I soon hot-footed it back to the M/S Expedition sauna for a hot chocolate with Kahlua!

The swimmers salute: back on-board the M/S Expedition

This blog-post forms part of a series of adventures experienced on-board the M/S Expedition in January 2012, whilst on an Antarctic Cruise - The Spirit of Shackleton - courtesy of Gadventures