A Victorian break on the Isle of Wight – Part 1

The Isle of Wight became a fashionable holiday destination back in the 19th century. Queen Victoria had happy memories of childhood breaks, so she built a home in East Cowes, Osborne House, and started to take her own family there. The travelling public followed – if it was good enough for Her Majesty… We’ve never been before, but 2020 is definitely the year for discovering new parts of the UK, so we’re following in the footsteps of the Victorians.

We take a morning Red Funnel ferry with the dogs in tow. We’re early of course, the husband treats all holidays like military campaigns, but luckily we drive straight onto the next boat with five minutes to spare. A positive start. We’re off early. Unfortunately, I can’t say the crossing is a great experience. We’re not allowed to stay in the car, which would be so much easier with our old boy Henry, plus safer surely? The decks are packed, masks to be worn everywhere, no eating or drinking in the restaurant, it’s all a bit uncomfortable and wierd.

Fortunately, after less than an hour we arrive and set off on country roads towards Shanklin, our base for the next few days. First stop, the beach of course – Lizzie the Labradoodle needs to let off some steam. Shanklin has a lovely long stretch of sand, Hope Beach, backed by once grand Victorian villas, now mostly hotels and restaurants. However, most of the beach is off limits to dogs between June and September. We didn’t time that very well, did we? There’s still plenty of room for doggie play at the southernmost end, it’s just a bit of a trek to reach it.

So what brought the Victorians here in their droves? Their newly industrialised towns were sooty and smelly. Here, they could breathe in the healthy sea air and bathe in the clean water, away from the smog and grime. Yes, I can see the attraction.

Next stop is obviously the pub. The husband is ready for a pint and some grub after being on driving duties. The Fisherman’s Cottage is a cute little place right on the sand. After a bit of delay due to covid restrictions (oh for the good old days when you could just walk up to the bar!) we’re ensconced at an outdoor table perusing the menu. Yes, that’s an outdoor table, in late September. Oh lucky us, the sun in shining.

Our accommodation for this trip is the Summerhill Apartments just outside Shanklin town centre. We’ve booked a two-bedroom ground floor place with a courtyard – the needs of an elderly dog come first and Henry doesn’t like stairs. It’s nothing flash, but it’s clean and comfy, with milk and dog treats thoughtfully provided. The sunny courtyard is larger than expected, perfect for our furry friends. OK, so it’s quite nice for a sneaky afternoon vino too!

The location is fabulous. Just at the end of the street is direct access to the Coastal Path, a circular walk that goes right around the island for 70 miles, mostly on footpaths. We have no intention of walking it all on our short break, but easy dog walks with great views are on tap. If I lived here I would definitely set out to cover the whole thing.

There’s a great place to eat up here on the path too. The Hideaway gets the best reviews in town, and we loved it. The views from the windows go straight out to sea, staff are super friendly and the food is excellent. If you go, be sure to check out the Doggie Hall of Fame over the bar – Henry and Lizzie are both up there!

Shanklin itself is in many ways a typical English seaside resort. The long beach is lined by a busy promenade of hotels, restaurants and B&Bs. There’s a massive amusement arcade on ‘the front’ and lots of families eating fish and chips or huge ice creams. The husband is highly amused about the popularity of the dinosaur and pirate-themed mini golf courses. Not really his thing! The development of seaside ‘attractions’ again goes back to the Victorians, who liked to be entertained whilst on holidays.

The Shanklin Theatre opened in 1879 to cater to the Victorian love of entertainment, and I’m glad to say it’s still going strong. Reading the events schedule makes me smile – alongside a long list of tribute evenings (from Elvis to ABBA and everything in between) are performances by Leo Sayer and Showaddywaddy! Brilliant! I also love the lift that whisks you from the beach up to the cliffs above. It’s so retro. This is not the Victorian original, sadly, but it exists because of the ingenuity of the time, and the desire to make life easier.

In the Old Village are a plethora of thatched inns and tea rooms clustered around the entrance to the Shanklin Chine, a lush gorge leading down to the beach, with walking paths and fairy lights. It’s all very olde worlde, if you like that kind of thing. The Victorian certainly did, even the famous ones. The poet Keats stayed at The Crab in Shanklin’s Victorian heyday and it still looks very much as it would have done then.

Charles Darwin preferred a seafront location when he came here to write his Origin of Species. He stayed at the Norfolk House Hotel, which is now the Waterfront Inn. I can report that it’s a very pleasant (and dog friendly) spot for lunch even now. The menu is far from Victorian, I’m glad to say, and I can recommend the felafel.