The Isle of Wight Music Festival

The Isle of Wight Music Festival will again this year be ready an waiting to welcome its many thousands of visitors to its established venue of Seaclose Park, Newport (Isle of Wight) from the 12th to the 14th June, 2009. The Festival opens at 12 noon with the first live music band, so be sure to arrive in plenty of time if you want to hear the great opening bands.

The Isle of Wight Music Festival has a rich and interesting history. The very first event was organised way back in the distant 1968 era, and now this great event has found its second wind and has been taking place annually for some years now after being dormant for some 30 odd years plus. Back in the early festival years, the time was so different; it attracted an immense amount of famous bands which in turn attracted to the event hundreds of thousands of people.Much of the organisation was non excitant and thus people did what they liked to a certain degree.

Isle of Wight Festival 1970 Intro

This led to a great many problems and eventually legislation was drawn up so that some sort of organisational structure would be needed to oversee and control the event if it was ever going to be allowed again. Many people had thought that we would never see anything like the 1970’s festivals ever again, but I am glad to say the festivals of recent years have been just as good and superbly organised.

The early festivals had many notable and famous artists who performed on the arena including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones as well as The Who. Later festivals have seen some real rockers as well such as The Police, Rolling Stones  Amy Winehouse etc…Having the Rolling Stones perform was just an amazing evening, although late on stage the place rocked its socks off.

One of the amazing things is that the festival is very cross sectional bringing people and artists together over from many different walks of life. It attracts every year the old devoted public and the new connoisseurs of art.
Around the festival it self is a multitude of convenient features to assist the attending visitor. There is a large campsite is at your disposal and is ready with all requirements. There are also enough parking spaces for those who arrive by car.

How do you get from the Campsite to the Main Arena? Just walk the paths via Strawberry Fields and discover all the necessary things you need on your way. The Campsite offers a quiet area for those wishing just a nice and peaceful sleep. Toilets and Showers are all available as well as many food and drink vendors all supporting and keeping everyone going during the weekend. Please, be careful with your things and do not leave valuables in your tent. You will also find plenty of bars and other entertainment where you can have a super afternoon or evening time with non-alcohol or alcohol drink.

Do not worry too much about getting home, as after the Festival you can travel by the bus to the ferry. If you want or need to find a suitable accommodation away from the campsite for your visit to the Festival, you can do it right here.
This festival is going to be as usual a super time for all, with live musical life, stirring a lot of positive emotions and energy for people. Have fun be safe and enjoy!

The Prodigy Breathe @ Isle Of Wight Festival

Smuggling on the Isle of Wight

Smuggling became evident on the Isle of Wight probably due to high taxes and low incomes for the locals. So smuggling became a way of generating income whilst avoiding high taxes which also meant more profit for the smuggler. The Island was well known for its exports of wool and had significant trade in this area. Up until towards the end of the end of the 18th century the Isle of Wight was relatively lacking in defences against smuggling. This led to the Island being almost a smugglers paradise with its many landing points along its south coast. The numerous chines became the sights of a whole number of routes for smuggling on the Isle of Wight providing cover so the many smugglers were less likely to be caught.

For some time in certain areas of the Island the smugglers were almost unchallenged and had a roaring trade. The Isle of Wight was up until the end of the 13th century an independent principality and many of the islanders distrusted and despised rule from the mainlanders. Smuggling tales are widespread throughout the Island and many are well known to locals. It must be said however that the smugglers did not go unchallenged and the local preventive forces gradually became more and more effective at stopping the smugglers from carrying out their criminal activities.

Of all the smugglers havens on the Isle of Wight, Rookley is known for having been the smugglers capital of the Island. The main reason for this is that Rookley is located at the epicentre of the Island. On the south coast Chale was well known for being the home of the notorious smuggling clan the ‘Wheelers’ they lived in the infamous ‘Box cottage’. Bembridge was famous for its crossings to and from France.

Bembridge today is famous for its windmill which harks back to more historic times and was used by smugglers as a helpful landmark for approaching ships.

Niton was known and written of that almost its whole populace were smugglers with many posing as having normal respectable day jobs such as farmers and fishermen. However they did little farming and fishing but somehow still had plentiful amounts of cash to spend on whatever they so desired. However it was along the north coast of the Island that most of the confrontation between the smugglers and customs officials of the time took place. For a while the smugglers had little fear of the authorities and their reprisals.
This wasn’t to be forever and in September in the year of 1777 William Arnold took up the post of collector of customs based in Cowes. This was the start of the wind of change for smuggling on the Isle of Wight and gradually William gained more support in stamping out smuggling in this local area not to mention resources to do so.

What Can You do on The Isle of Wight?

There are so many interesting things written about the beautiful Isle of Wight…What else might be added to this plethora of information? I can say without doubt that this island still has many a secret and mystery to explore and discover. Besides its historical past, the Island welcomes its guests and holiday makers to admire the fascinating natural beauty that is on offer in this European Isle. Not being that far from the mainland of England, the access to the Isle of Wight can be had in three ways, Hover travel’s passenger hovercrafts, Wight Link’s Car and fast cat passenger ferries and Red Funnel’s fast Red-jet passenger and its super car ferries.

Once over the sea trip you can step back on the wonderful terra firma, immediately you feel a special spirit and a magnificent atmosphere. Here on the island there are many things for you to exercise your mind on. Every person whether a child or adult, male or female, can find something for his or her soul, and curiosity to explore. History, nature, spectacular views, attractions, events, these are only some of the experiences you can follow in order to satisfy your heart and inner essence.

We are happy to provide you with background information on many of the Island’s activities. For example, why not try out Amazon World. It is a great chance to see a wide selection of rare species of animals, plants, insects, reptiles. You can find out all the necessary information about tropical forests and the conservation of the worlds natural resources. Amazon World Park is one of the champions of the Top Family Attraction, so be sure when we say, all members of the family can have fun there. Another super attraction of the Isle of Wight that can provide you with a wide selection of positive emotions is Blackgang Chine.

There are many sections to be seen and explored, such as Nursery Rhyme Characters for the younger ones, Weather Wizards, Cowboy Town and Rumpus Mansion, all designed to keep the young and old attention for many an hour. For the not so heroic amongst the party can have some nice time sitting quietly at a café or snack bar. Moreover, you can come back to the park within 7 days free of charge, so don’t forget to come early in the week and the kids can be brought back again later as their minds demand more and more.

For the intrepid cyclists or for a healthy visit why not take a walk or cycle trip around the island, there are many set routes and paths to choose from and you will have a really exciting trip. Make sure to take a camera and take a great amount of lovely super pictures for the scrapbook.

How to Get to The Isle of Wight

Getting to the Isle of Wight is relatively easy from the English mainland and there are three main travel operators who can get you there in a fairly short space of time. Each of the travel operators has their own colourful history of bringing people between the Isle of Wight and the English mainland and they all have their own unique heritage of being connected with the Island.

They are:

Hover travel

The Isle of Wight has a long history associated with the Hovercraft and in fact the Island was instrumental in its early development. Hover travel operates a fast and effective way of travelling to and from the Island by Hovercraft. This is said to be the fastest way of travelling to the island from the mainland and vice versa. The Hovercraft travels between Ryde and Portsmouth with both destinations being well served by public transport and having generous car parking facilities.

Wightlink

Wightlink has been taking people back and forth between the Isle of Wight and the mainland for the past 160 years. Wightlink operate between Yarmouth to Lymington, Fishbourne to Portsmouth and Ryde to Portsmouth.  The Yarmouth to Lymington route is by way of car ferry offering transportation for people travelling by either by foot or car, coach etc. The Fishbourne to Portsmouth also operates by way of car ferry. You can also travel by Fast Cat between Ryde and Portsmouth this is for foot passengers only but is a much faster way of travelling between the Island and the mainland.

Red Funnel
Red Funnel operates between the Isle of Wight and the mainland from either East Cowes or West Cowes on the island to Southampton on the mainland. The Red Funnel company has transporting people to and from the Island for almost 150 years. You can catch the Red Funnel Car Funnel from East Cowes with Red Funnel operating the largest ferry of its type between the Island and the mainland. If you looking for a faster approach to travelling between the Isle of Wight and the mainland then the Red Jet Hi-Speed service between West Cowes and Southampton is your best option if you choose Red Funnel to get you there.

Whichever travel operator you choose to get you to the Isle of Wight you will find the island a great place to visit with many attractions and places to stay. The Isle of Wight is steeped in history in many ways from its Royal residences to its many monuments and historic buildings. The Island is also full of many modern attractions from its sports facilities to its many places to eat and drink. The Isle of Wight is a beautiful island to visit at whatever time of year you choose to visit.

The Old Gaffers Festival 2009 – Celebrating its 50th Year of Racing – 29th to the 31st May

The now well established nationally recognised annual Old Gaffers festival will again be running this year from the 29th May to the 31st May. The first year that races were ran was way back in 1959, so this year we are celebrating 50 years of racing Gaffers on the Solent.

As usual this will not only be a super weekend of sailing nostalgia but a great place to bring the family for all the additional things happening in and around the Yarmouth area over the three days.

The old gaffers themselves will be on display on the water either racing or just looking good. They travel from all over the country to participate in this annual event. Some of the vessels there will be over 80 years old and one this year actually makes it to her 100th and is still going strong.

So what is a “Gaff Rig” a good description of this is where a sailing rig or configuration of sails in which the sail itself is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the gaff. This gaff enables a fore and aft sail to be four sided, rather than triangular, and this as much as doubles the sail area that can be carried by that mast and boom (if a boom is used in the particular rig).  Many small craft over the years have deployed this style of rigging as with the doubling of the sail area the speed of the craft and its capability of manoeuvring in restricted waters are greatly enhanced.

Now that we have explained the technical aspects of why they are called “Gaff” we can move on and suggest to all to look out for the many different styles deployed within the visiting vessels. You can spend hours examining thinking about how these little boats were used all over the UK water ways to deliver the everyday necessities of a booming industrial society during the 18th and 19th Centuries.

This year’s festival will have over 100 vessels afloat as well as many things to do ashore such as Live Concerts, Classic Vehicle Displays, Craft Fair and Market, as well as Flower Festival and many places to eat and drink and while away the weekend.

It is expected that thousands of visitors will be attending so please remember to come early and see the opening ceremony being performed by Geoff Holt, he is the fastest disabled person to sail around the Isle of Wight in 2007, and BBC’s sports personality of the year 2007.

So make a note 12 noon on Friday 29th May for the start of a great weekend of fun at the 2009 Old Gaffers Festival, Yarmouth Harbour Isle of Wight.

Best Destinations For Your Family

When you are planning a trip for two people – it is really an easy thing, as many places are setup to cater for couples and thus finding that special deal is often a fairly simple task. However if you want to spend a nice holiday with a family or a group of people, then it is more of a challenge. The vacation must seem to cater for all tastes and meet all requirements of age, sex, interests, social position etc.

Obviously, the main goal of any holiday must be that all should have a good time, plenty of positive emotions where all members of the party will feel great. So planning for such a super event requires you to sit together with the all members of your family and decide in what directions you all wish to go. You must take into consideration the ideas and desires of everyone involved. Once you have realised the wishes, its time to choose the destination, book the hotels and pay for the  flights.

There are some places that can satisfy even the most capricious people and groups. One of these places is the beautiful and idyllic Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight is really one of the most favored destinations for UK travelers. Why do we as Islanders make such a big thing about this island? Well we all know it can offer a wide range of activities, wonderful natural beauty, fabulous places of interest many with great historical significance, events, festivals etc. etc. Adults can rest and relax having a great time and the children can be busy playing with so many activities at their fingertips, always looking, learning and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Every town and every village welcomes its visitors and opens their doors to the long-awaited guests at the beginning of each season. We always suggest that visitors should explore the popular towns of Shanklin and Sandown as well as visiting the surrounding bays, which always attract visitors by virtue of their sandy beaches and offerings of super times at the seaside.

Island accommodation is very comfortable and can fit a wide variety of money expenditures and expectations. You can easily find the most suitable hotel and restaurant along the esplanades of both towns. We do suggest exploring the historical places of both locations; take a pleasant stroll along the promenade in the fresh sea air, and then enjoy the picturesque scenery while sipping a glass of beer in a bar or local pub. Those wishing to satisfy their shopping fever should venture into the main town, not forgetting the Sunday market held in Sandown. Those interested in a cultural outing should checkout  Shanklin Theatre for a wonderful matinee or evening performance.

It does not really matter whether you decide to visit Shanklin or Sandown or any other towns of the Isle of Wight like Ryde, Ventnor etc. The most important thing is that you enjoy the pleasures and pastimes of your stay.

Amazon World Zoo Park

Amazon World Zoo Park is welcoming its visitors! It is one of the most unique parks in the United Kingdom or even in Europe. It is one of the Isle of Wight’s biggest attractions as well as having a superb collection of exotic and rare animals. It has been the honourable winner of the Top Attraction award. There is a wide range of various gorgeous, weird and wonderful and extraordinary animal species.
Visiting Amazon World Zoo Park is a great opportunity for you to be nearer to wild nature and so explore its beauty. Let us take a virtual tour to some of the animal’s groups.

Primates are our first point of call. They say that people came from monkeys and apes. It is not really true or is it? Some similarity in monkey and people behaviours can be tracked. The difference is that almost all monkeys have tails and this tail plays a good role for them as it is used as the monkey’s fifth limb. It is its tail that allows the monkey to clamber and equilibrate among trees and branches. What do you feel when you think of a rodent? Well you must know that a great part of all mammals are rodents. But you know that nature is the cycle and animals are divided into predatory and herbivorous. Fortunately for the whole natural cycle and unfortunately for the rodents they are consumed as food by the other animals groups.

The Capybara is considered the biggest rodent among all the species of this very group. It resembles a guinea pig and usually inhabits river banks in Central and South America. The Capybara feels fully safe and comfortable whether in or out of the water. They are very good swimmers due to their webbed feet. That is why they run away and escape very fast just having a sensation of peril so as not to be involved in unpleasant circumstances and eaten by an animal. The rapid streaming river is not an obstacle for capybaras as they overcome it easily. I think it works as survival instinct which can do a lot.

Amazon World Zoo Park can be proud of the very exceptional kind of Porcupine you have a possibility to see the Prehensile-tailed Tree Porcupine. Its barbed and rough spine is a sort of defence from the predatory. If you look more attentively you can see a tail. This physically powerful and supple tail is a useful tool for climbing and seeking for food. Have you ever met a Kinkajou? If your answer is no then you must see this extraordinary mammal at Amazon World Zoo Park. Do you know that Kinkajou is an arboreal fruit-eating mammal widespread in Central and South America? The Kinkajou belongs to the Raccoon family and has a nice as well as long prehensile tail. The second name for this funny animal is the “honey beer” due to the fact that he smashes beehives and is known for robbing all the honey.

Parrots are always fun not only for children but also for adults. These brightly coloured birds with very strong and noisy voices always attract tourists. Also parrots have a very nice and peculiar feature. They imitate human voices. That is why many people want to have them at home as their pets. Once, some time ago I saw some penguins. They are so cute animals. By the way, be careful with them as they are very sensitive and they have their very own exclusive characters. Enjoy watching how they play and swim.

The Isle of Wight is full of attractions and one of these is Amazon World Zoo Park. It is extremely nice place where animals get the right food and care. It is a chance for people to see wonderful nature.

Accommodation in Ryde And Ventnor

As we promised here is some more information with regard to the accommodation within the beautiful Isle of Wight. As before we intend to take you through one of our descriptive tours. Today we want to stop at some really attractive places in Ryde, Ningwood and Ventnor. To tell you the truth, these towns are some of my favourites  on the Isle of Wight. First of all they are nice places to visit.

Ventnor is a very beautiful town with its tropical palms and there is most definately a special spirit you can feel being inside the town. There are a range of restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars for adults to enjoy themselves. The Marina Parade is a good choice in Ventnor. Ventnor is one of the popular destinations among holiday-makers. It ideally suits those who want to see island attractions, exploring historical places and natural beauty, as well as the like for a traditional beach holiday. These apartments are furnished and equipped with a very high criterion. You can sit and contemplate the beautiful view of the sea panorama out of your bedroom. Ventnor Bay is 50 metres from the apartments entrance. All apartments are equipped with autonomous electric heating systems, laundry rooms with washing machines.

Satellite TV, DVD, video and other entertainment facilities are installed in every flat free of charge. A convenient parking space is available for every apartment. If you want to stay at Ningwood, then Orchard Cottage welcomes you. Ningwood is situated halfway between Yarmouth and Newport. You can simply access this small hamlet by road once off the car ferry. It is a four bedroom comfortable thatched accommodation. The house itself refers to the 17th century. It will turn you back to the atmosphere of olden times.

The accommodation provides you with spacious rooms for your rest and relaxation. You can have a nice cup of tea in the beautiful gardens. If you want to have a tasty dinner, nip in the car and around the corner to find the Horse and Groom open for you. Welcoming public houses now have a status for good meals. Onwards on our way is Ryde. Ryde is famous for its many eating places to visit. Ryde Pier is a well-known landmark with its railway, ferry terminal as well as bus station. Anyone should find in this town something very special for his/ her own soul and interests.

Let me present to you the  Ryde Castle. This accommodation is located fortuitously on the seafront but at the same time is still close to the centre of the town. This large and comfortable accommodation provides you with elegantly furnished rooms. Holiday facilities are at qualitative level. You will be I am sure very satisfied. A honeymoon couple or a big family with many children can have a nice beach holiday here. It is the perfect place for children to have fun with road train, mini merry-go-round at Peter Pans Playground…

If you want to find a particular Isle of Wight hotel, simply research in the world of unlimited cyber space this will bring you the answers. We are sure that once you have visited the beautiful Isle of Wight, you will not forget it. And we are doubly sure that you will never be bored as there are so many fabulous things to see and do on the island.

Take Time Off and Have a Super Vacation

The Isle of Wight is a beautiful and charming island. You can easily access it in 15 to 20 minutes from the mainland of England. Being famous for its fabulous rolling sandy shores and its Mediterranean southern coastline I am sure the Isle of Wight will undoubtedly plunge you into an atmosphere of relaxation, recreation and meditation within minutes of being under its spell.

Once you have decided to have a great summer vacation on the beach, you may well go direct to Sandown and you will not be disappointed. The beaches attract visitors by their beauty and unspoiled loveliness. You can lie down in the Sun, splashing on some pleasant skin tan and read a good book and later on take time to walk in the evening along the promenade contemplating the gorgeous Solent sunset.

I am more than sure that anybody would be glad to remember such pleasant occurrences and bask in the warm memories as they recall their super holiday experiences .

What about the kids, well there are many activities for children on the beach. They can have fun playing various sports: beach volley- ball, water-ball, crazy golf, cricket … Small ones will be very happy to play with sand and build heaped castles. Whilst they are occupied the adults are free to enjoy beverages and delicious food in the many surrounding beach cafés.

As you may well have been informed, the Isle of Wight is a very green Island; we would like to make sure that you fully understand that its country side is a really marvellous thing, The under cliff around Ventnor and St Lawrence is especially blessed with a fabulous Mediterranean micro climate.  This you must not miss as a visit to Ventnor Botanical Gardens, will open your eyes, please do enjoy the lovely feeling of being surrounded by nature and at one with it.

Once you have visited the Isle of Wight, you will undoubtedly want to come here back.
Every beach, accommodation, restaurant or shop has its own very special appeal for you to enjoy and bask in.
It does not really matter how many times you have been, as there is always something else that will open your eyes for you to discover another super Island something.

Take some days off and have a fine holiday on the island. It provides an ocean of positive emotions and a fabulous amount of fond memories…

Relax And Open Your Mind to The Eternal Universe…

When you first take your first few steps on the soil of the Isle of Wight, you will discover and be amazed by its beautiful natural flora and fauna. The second thing that astonishes your imagination will be that of its wonderful deluxe beaches, the blue waters and the wild countryisde.  We must all realise the Isle of Wight is famous for its golden sandy beaches, spectacular bays and rough cliffs, many attaining high standard of water quality and safety.

The Isle of Wight and the islanders themselves are all very hospitable. The island is ready to welcome holiday makers any time during the year.

The Isle of Wight is a fabulous opportunity to have a great holiday with the whole family whether you want to have an exciting activity or a calm one indulging in simple pastimes such as taking relaxing walks along the beaches and paths of the Island. You can be sure that your children will be busy with an abundance of entertainment and
amusement. The Isle of Wight has many things for children to get their teeth into such as the fabulous Tiger Zoo, many museums, playing crazy golf, bowling; ice skating to name but a few, they may also enjoy some of the many joyful and pleasurable times in theme parks.

If a person wants to meditate and look into his or her inner essence, there is a wonderful isolated place in Ventnor where it is possible to calm down your thoughts, think upon life fishing or collecting shells. It’s a time to relax and open your mind to the eternal universe…

The history of the island is rather appealing and cultured. Almost everybody knows that Osborne House was the favorite summer residence of Queen Victoria. However, there are so many more places of interest to visit. Carefully memories of the past for the future generations to see are dotted all over the Island. Why not explore Carisbrooke Castle or the famous Needles chalk cliffs or attend and pop over to Cowes annual regatta!

A vacation spent on the Isle of Wight will enlighten your soul and fill your mind with vivid memories and plenty of wonderful pictures. Having visited the island I can give you a really good piece of advice: if you do not want to miss any special detail of this natural beauty, explore this green island on foot and at a leisurely pace so as not to miss anything!
Believe me; you will gain a great satisfaction full of positive emotions!