Book a ferry ticket to the Isle of Wight

Two Heritage Coast paths follow the best of the shoreline, while several historic buildings and a splendid array of well-preserved Victoriana provide added interest. Chief of these is Osborne House, near Cowes, originally designed as a summer retreat for Victoria and the royal family, later the queen's permanent home after Albert died. Several other great Victorians also had close associations with the island: Tennyson lived at Freshwater, and Dickens stayed and wrote in Winterbourne House in Bonchurch - the town where Swinburne grew up and is now buried.