Newport, Isle of Wight – Sunday 9th July 2023 – Janet's Adventures in Waterstones

We visited the Isle of Wight for a couple of days, staying in Sandown on the south east coast of the island. We travelled across on the ferry from Southampton and decided to head to Newport first. Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, located inland at the estuary of the Medina River and has lots of attractive buildings including the Guildhall, which houses a museum of history of the Isle of Wight, but being a Sunday, it wasn’t open. We had hoped to return to Newport but we ran out of time. The Waterstones is located in the High Street in the main shopping area. As this is the only branch on the island, I have included photographs other parts of the IoW here too, as there’s a lot to see and those places are too good not to share!

Newport, Isle of Wight - 9, 10, 11 July (1)

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Newport, Isle of Wight map

Newport

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Newport, Isle of Wight - 9, 10, 11 July (11)

Sandown

Sandown is a typical family seaside resort and was our base for our time on the island. We had a fabulous view of the long, sandy beach and the Victorian pier from our room. I got up early on both days and walked along the promenade to the next town, Shanklin and then back – via the cliff path on the first day.

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Newport, Isle of Wight - 9, 10, 11 July (22)

Alum Bay and The Needles

Alum Bay sits on the west of the island and is the location of The Needles, three chalk stacks which rise out of the sea. The bay is best known for its multi-coloured cliffs, made of layers of rocks coloured by various minerals. The area can be reached on foot, and also by a cable car which operates during the summer months.

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Newport, Isle of Wight - 9, 10, 11 July (28)

Osbourne House

Osbourne House stands on the site of an older property which was demolished, and a new house was built for Queen Victoria and was completed in 1851. She and Prince Albert used it as their summer residence, and the house was designed by the Prince in an Italianate style. Queen Victoria died here on 22 January 1901 when she was 81. The house was presented to the state by the new King, Edward VII, who had apparently never liked the house. It was used variously by the Royal Navy as a training college and convalescent home. Management of the house was taken over by English Heritage in 1986. The house and grounds are beautiful and well worth a visit. The estate has gorgeous gardens and grounds and its own beach.