Ye Olde Smuggler’s Cabin, Shanklin
28th July 2007 2
Although the Isle of Wight has not suffered the same terrible monsoon season that has deluged the Midlands, the summer even on the Island has not been consistently hot. Nonetheless, this hasn’t prevented Matt and Cat from venturing to the Island’s seaside resorts in search of cream tea to... Read more
Steamer Inn, Shanklin
28th July 2007 11
Shanklin Esplanade is one of the quieter of the traditional beaches on the Isle of Wight, where visitors still enjoy the golden sands, amusements, crazy golf and ice creams. It’s Matt and Cat’s recurring pleasure to stop off on the way home from work at such a place where... Read more
Osborne House Petty Officers Quarters Cafe
8th July 2007 2
Osborne House has an impressive Terrace Restaurant for the ultimate lunchtime venue – but if you want to get a taste of the Osborne experience without buying a ticket you can take advantage of the new cafe in the recently restored Petty Officers’ Quarters. It’s a remarkable bit of... Read more
Hogs Head, Newport
8th July 2007 1
Matt and Cat chose the previously prohibitively smoky Hogs Head as the venue for their first meal in a newly smoke-free environment. A visit the week before had seen them not even stay long enough to order a drink at the bar, so breath-taking was the fuggy atmosphere. However,... Read more
Situated in a prominent position at the upper end of Carisbrooke High Street is the substantial red-brick pub, The Waverley, named after the paddle steamer of the same name. Matt and Cat drove into the spacious rear car park early one weekday evening, having been lured in by the... Read more
Lifeboat Inn, East Cowes
24th June 2007 17
If you were to visit East Cowes marina and its Lifeboat Inn by boat, it would be easy to imagine that you were in a cosmopolitan waterside town, wealthy from development money. However, approaching the marina from the east, through streets of red brick terraced houses, past tall factories... Read more
Browns Cafe and Clubhouse, Sandown
23rd June 2007 2
Down on Culver Parade, a little way from the hussle and hilarity of the esplanade, Sandown boasts a fine 1930’s miniature golf course, complete with a clubhouse in the period style. Behind it prevails the municipal cafe which Matt remembers from many happy visits as a child, some 35... Read more
Taj Tandoori, Sandown
17th June 2007 6
The vast, metropolitan town that is Cowes boasts no less than three eat-in tandooris, the Island’s county town, Newport, has only two, and Ryde, Shanklin and Sandown have to make do with one each – oh, and one in Lake. It’s a mystery why, outside Cowes, such busy tourist... Read more
Eight Bells, Carisbrooke
9th June 2007 17
The Eight Bells is a popular pub, frequented by families and the Sunday lunch brigade. Positioned as it is in the middle of the pretty village of Carisbrooke and with a well-populated duck pond in its leafy garden, one can see why. Having wandered around inside the cavernous pub... Read more
The Boathouse, Fort Victoria, Yarmouth
2nd June 2007 6
A gentle afternoon stroll between Yarmouth and Fort Victoria Country Park is one of the nicest ways to explore the West Wight, with the promise of an enjoyable destination whichever direction you travel. Matt and Cat visited the splendid Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival, and decided to take this short... Read more
