"The Isle of Wight is England's largest island, but its diamond-shape is at most 23 miles long and 13 miles wide. Anchored close to the Hampshire coast, its location has created a sheltered waterway, the Solent, with its own local roadsteads and a unique double tidal system. This geography has shaped the area's history. Southampton's docks, located on Southampton Water to the north-west, had become the country's largest civilian port by the mid-twentieth century. Just north-east across the stretch of water called Spithead is the island city of Portsmouth with its ideal natural harbour. This was an internationally important port for over three hundred years, while the whole area has been places of naval significance on the world stage for even longer. From when Queen Victoria bought Osborne House in 1845 and had it remodeled as an Italianate mansion the Isle of Wight became a hub of Victorian society. The Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson lived at Freshwater, while Charles Swinburne grew up at Bonchurch, a place where Charles Dickens vacationed. Charles Darwin began his Origin of Species here, and Karl Marx came to restore his health; it was the expanding rail network that brought them there. Mark Bardell explores the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth and the surrounding maritime landscapes, revealing unexpected historical and literary associations."--PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION.

The Rough Guide to Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight is your definitive handbook to one of the most beautiful and diverse holiday destinations in the UK. From the wild heaths of the New Forest to the UNESCO recognised Jurassic Coast. For every town and village, there are comprehensive and opinionated reviews of all the best places to eat, drink and stay to suit every budget. There is plenty of practical advice for a host of outdoor activities from exploring the new South Downs National Park by bicycle or foot, to world-class windsurfing and yachting off the Isle of Wight coast. The guide also takes a detailed look at the region's history, culture, literature and superb wildlife and comes complete with maps for every area. Make the most of your time on Earth with Rough Guide to Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight.

This travel guide to the Isle of Wight offers detailed information on everything from local history to the best places to eat and drink. With its charming prose and insightful recommendations, Black's Guide is an invaluable companion for anyone planning a trip to this beautiful island. This edition also includes sailing directions for the Solent, making it an essential resource for seafarers and boating enthusiasts. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This new and expanded version of the history of Wightlink's services to the Isle of Wight looks at the history of the Portsmouth-Fishbourne and Lymington-Yarmouth routes, together with the introduction of the new tonnage on the Lymington service and the new fast ferries for Portsmouth.

Tough, durable and weatherproof, this title features maps that are covered in a lightweight protective plastic coating that can be written on, so that your favourite routes can be easily highlighted.