Sample Tours
I have selected 3 samples of how your tour could look below. You will find more under the various themes headings on Tours page.
Obviously, we will meet you from the place of your choosing and deliver you back to the place of your choosing also - so don’t think that your tour needs to start and finish at the places we mention.
Any of the tours can be adapted to suit your wishes – both in content and length.
Two of the tours I have chosen to share with you as examples are what we call ‘Good to Go’ – meaning tried and tested and extremely popular. As it happens, the two I have chosen are both day tours.
The third is a ‘create your own’ tour which was carefully constructed by us together with our clients. This particular tour was a 5-day one which started and finished in London. I have included in brackets which of the 8 themes on our ‘Tours’ page each of the component parts was chosen from.
Good to Go Sample No. 1
Round the Island Panorama Day Tour
Tight for time but don’t want to miss a thing? Hear tales of King Charles I, Queen Victoria & Prince Albert, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charles Darwin, Julia Margaret Cameron, Charles Dickens, Garibaldi, Marconi, Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming, Jimi Hendrix and many more on our best-loved day tour.
Visit Queen Victoria’s 'dear Osborne', see the 1970 IOW (Pop) Festival Site, wonder at the exterior of Carisbrooke Castle, drive along the stunning south coastal route with its tales of smuggling, shipwrecks and dinosaurs and across the Island’s central downs, see Shanklin and Ventnor with their spectacular views, Blackgang, through Newport with its hidden royal tomb, Tennyson’s Farringford and neighbouring Dimbola, along with tucked away 'chocolate box' villages, all before finishing at The Needles. Consider the Island conquered!
Good to Go Sample No. 2
Royalty, Racing & Rigging Day Tour
East Cowes
Osborne House – Queen Victoria’s favourite home and place of her death
The Royal Church (St. Mildred’s, Whippingham) built for Queen Victoria
The Folly Inn (lunch) beautiful riverside pub/restaurant
Cross the River Medina to Cowes – using the Floating Bridge is an exciting way to do it!
Cowes
Visit the Classic Boat Museum – a must for anyone interested in the maritime history of Cowes!
Guided walking tour of Cowes and/or shopping time or harbour cruise
Tour finishes in The Garden (café/restaurant)
Create Your Own Sample No. 1
Five-Day Best of Wight Tour
Day 1
Depart London early morning -collected by David in his 16-seater minibus.
Drive to Portsmouth (see Portsmouth, Travel Information)
Arrive approx. 13.00 – lunch at old Portsmouth’s Still and West – a beautiful old pub with a spectacular view over the Solent.
2 p.m. visit Historic Dockyard or D-Day Museum
Spinnaker Tower (either general viewing or afternoon tea)
Check into hotel - e.g. The Ship Leopard (see Portsmouth, Travel Information)
Dinner of your choice (in this case Sakura, Southsea (Japanese)
Day 2
Take 10.00 ferry across to Island (Portsmouth to Fishbourne – near Ryde).
Arrive at 11.00
Short drive to Quarr Abbey and have morning coffee. (Spiritual & Artistic Wight)
By 12.00 on to Royal Church of Whippingham - Royalty, Racing & Rigging (Cowes)
13.00 Lunch at The Folly Inn riverside pub (Eat, Drink & Stay)
14.15 Osborne – Queen Victoria’s home for the rest of the afternoon. (Royalty, Racing & Rigging)
17.30 check in to accommodation of your choice. (Eat, Drink & Stay)
Dinner at Smoking Lobster, Cowes (Eat, Drink & Stay)
Day 3
9.30. leave the hotel.
Drive to Bonchurch for Bonchurch Literary Walk,10. 00 – 11.00 approx. (Literary & Musical Wight)
Walk or drive into Ventnor (or a beautiful walk for those who are up to it)
Pick up minibus and drive to the IOW Distillery for a tasting experience (Eat, Drink & Stay) tasting. 12 – 12.45 approx.
On to Garlic Farm for lunch 13.00 (Eat, Drink & Stay). Leave around 14.00 and on to Godshill (Gardens & Villages)
14.30 Visit Model Village and take the scenic walk up to the Church.
Leave by around 16.30 and head back to accommodation to freshen up before setting out again
Early evening Ghost Walk in Ventnor Botanic Garden (Spiritual & Artistic Wight)
Dinner at True Food Kitchen, Ventnor (Eat, Drink & Stay)
Day 4
Leave hotel at 9.30.
Drive along the stunning south coast – Military Road, taking in the Brighstone loop.
Around 10.45 take a peep inside St. Agnes’ Church, Freshwater Bay (Victorian Wight) – followed by:
Dimbola Museum & Galleries (around 11.15), home and workplace of Victorian pioneer portrait photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, great aunt of Virginia Woolf. Have a coffee and/or look round the museum (Victorian Wight, Literary & Musical Wight and Eat, Drink & Stay)
Lunch at The Rock, Albion Hotel, 12.45 approx. (Eat, Drink & Stay)
Be at the Needles by 14.30 – 15.45 approx. – take chairlift and boat ride and have a little look round the shops. (Fossils & Geology)
Onto Yarmouth (4 - 5 p.m.) - quaint and much-loved little town on the most westerly point of the Island. Take a stroll on the pier, pop into the church, try out one of the fantastic tea shops and undoubtedly do a bit more shopping - there are some simply wonderful shops here! (War and Peace)
Short refresh back at accommodation
Pre-dinner stroll through the illuminated Shanklin Chine (Gardens & Villages)
Dinner at RT Café Grill Restaurant, Ryde (Eat, Drink & Stay)
Day 5
Take ferry at 10.00 (different route this time – East Cowes to Southampton)
Arrive at 11.00 and head straight for SeaCity Museum Southampton – a fascinating Museum chronicling all aspects of the history of this world-famous port. This includes a considerable section dedicated to the Titanic Story, Southampton being where the ill-fated ship sailed from. A quick visit to the Tudor House & Garden (oldest house in town, 15th century) - another Museum which also has a lovely garden and a place where you can have a lunch before travelling onwards. (Travel Information, Southampton).
Now London-bound, we will make a stop on the way for an afternoon tea. Early evening arrival in London.
Good to Go – Super Deluxe Literary 3-day scheduled tour
Wednesday September 2nd – Friday September 4th
The tour outlined below is brand new and we hope you will find it as exciting as we do! It’s a collaborative venture featuring several local ‘movers and shakers’ with whom we work on a regular basis. Unlike our normal tours, it isn’t personalised, but one which anyone can sign up to (minimum 10 - maximum 14 people). No need to worry – you will all be like-minded individuals who may start out as strangers but won’t end up that way! Obviously, if you want to book all the spaces for your own personal group, you are entirely at liberty to do so – this is on a ‘first come first served’ basis and once it is full, it is full – so booking at the earliest opportunity is to be strongly advised.
The tour is all-inclusive – hotel, transport once on the Island (except taxis upon arrival to take you to hotel), itinerary, food and drink (served with meals and anywhere else they are mentioned.
Please speak to us direct regarding prices and booking.
Nearest arrival point on the Island would be Yarmouth (crossing from Lymington) however, we suggest you choose the route that suits you best. Please see ‘Getting Here’ page.
Day 1 – Wednesday September 2nd
Arrival in The Albion Hotel, Freshwater Bay around 4 p.m. (or later if necessary) with welcome cocktail and nibbles. (If you require a taxi and want our help – please let us know. N.B. taxis to hotel aren’t part of the package). ‘Settling in’ time – you won’t want to miss taking advantage of your wonderful rooms and perfect location whenever possible! (For more information about the hotel – please see both ‘Eat, Drink & Stay’ and ‘Victorian Wight’ pages.)
6.00 – 6.45 p.m. Introduction from Jane on the Isle of Wight and literature, including a 20-minute excerpt from her documentary ‘Cameron, Coffee and Calcutta: A Traveller’s Tales’, which will give you a taste of the literary and artistic importance of Freshwater Bay in particular. Tonight’s welcome briefing is specifically aimed at tomorrow’s programme but will of course include a general overview.
Dinner – 7.45 p.m. at the hotel’s wonderful restaurant ‘The Rock’. Why the name? Just look out of the window! (See left) (Possibility of a shortened repeat of my overall introduction to the tour for latecomers, either immediately before dinner or later in the evening, if desired).
Day 2 – Thursday September 3rd
Breakfast
10.15 - 11.30 a.m. Morning tour at Farringford (home of Alfred Lord Tennyson, Queen Victoria’s poet laureate).
11.45 Dimbola Museum and Galleries for tea/coffee at their award-winning teashop, followed by a short tour of the galleries themselves.
1 – 2 p.m. Reconvene in teashop between for a light lunch.
Hereafter follows a choice:
Walk up to Tennyson Monument for those who wish (hilly), a stroll round local ‘Freshwater Circle’ literary haunts (flat) or for complete relaxation, return to hotel to maximise use of your wonderful terrace!
4.15 p.m. reconvene at hotel (latest) for tea and biscuits ahead of a 4.30 – 5.30 p.m. talk by Ian Dickens, great-great grandson of Charles Dickens, who will be sharing ‘insider information’ about his famous forebear, as well as letting us in on the secret of the extent to which his illustrious ancestor has impacted his own life.
5.30 – 6.20 p.m. - time to take a breather and relax.
6.20 p.m. leave hotel to drive to the Medina Bookshop, Cowes.
7 p.m. pre-dinner drinks and nibbles and fascinating short talk by Peter Harrigan, Director of Medina Publishing. Peter will be able to talk you through some themes and examples of current Isle of Wight literature. Here we will be joined by Stephan Roman (author of ‘Isle and Empires’, also published by Medina Publishing). Peter will make the initial introduction to Stephan.
8 p.m. dinner at the Smoking Lobster, Cowes (one of the Island’s top seafood restaurants - also non-seafood options available). Ian Dickens, Peter Harrigan and Stephan and I will all be with you – enabling you to carry on good conversations and ask any questions that you didn’t get to ask earlier!
Drive back to hotel.
Day 3 Friday September 4th
Breakfast
Check out – bring luggage with you
Leave hotel at 9.15 for Bonchurch
10.00 – 12.30 Literary Walk with Sue Lowday (Dickens, Swinburne, Macauley etc.) Let Sue, a Bonchurch resident and local literary expert, beguile you with her tales!
12.30 depart Bonchurch for neighbouring Ventnor.
12.45 – 2.00 p.m. luxurious light lunch in a stylish setting (on the terrace itself, of course, weather permitting) at ‘The Terrace Rooms with Wine’, Ventnor (formerly known as St. Augustine Villa - where Alexander Herzen, a leading opponent of the Romanovs, used to stay in the 1850’s).
2.00 – 2.45 p.m. a talk by Stephan Roman about the Ventnor Radicals who actively opposed Russia’s Imperial rulers in the middle years of the nineteenth century. The political, literary and social thinking that emerged from Ventnor helped lay the foundations for the Russian Revolution of 1917.
2.45 – 3.15 p.m. guided walk along the Esplanade in Ventnor, passing where many radicals stayed including Count A.K Tolstoy and the writer, Ivan Turgenev.
3.15 p.m. minibus pick-up from The Spyglass Inn up to the Ventnor Heritage Centre.
3.20 – 4 p.m. visit to Ventnor Heritage Centre.
4.00 p.m. from here, minibus to Cowes to catch the next Red Jet crossing back to Southampton.
Some of you may wish to spend another night or two, and who could honestly blame you! We can help you arrange this if you would like and even guide you round some more Island highlights – the jewel that is Osborne House etc. If interested, please mention this when you get in touch with us.
Royalty and Radicals tour
Brand new! Good to Go - 3-day scheduled tour
Wednesday September 23rd – Friday 25th, 2026
An exciting three-day tour, mainly based around Cowes in the north - with its strong connections to the Russian Imperial family, and Ventnor in the south-east, where the same could be said for their (Russian) Radical opponents. How simply fascinating that all this happened on Victorian Isle of Wight – do join us on this exquisitely-themed tour to learn more!
This premium tour is all-inclusive: the high-class accommodation, food and drink, transport (on the Island) and full programme is arranged and provided by us (excluding Osborne entrance and any food or drink there).
Please speak to me for full details, and please book early!
Romanov Collection, General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
Day 1
Royalty and Radicals Tour – Introductory talks and Imperial-themed dinner
14.00 - 16.00 – arrival at Albert Cottage, East Cowes.
We suggest that you take the Red Funnel ferry from Southampton to East Cowes. If you are not bringing your own car to the Island, taxis can be pre-booked to meet you on your arrival at East Cowes (these will be at your own expense). Your accommodation will be at the prestigious Albert Cottage, East Cowes (left). This was the home of Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and is a splendid Victorian era building with extensive gardens (originally belonging to Osborne itself). Car parking is available on site should you require it.
17.00 - 17.45 - tea and cake served in the Victoria Room. Welcome by Annie Horne (owner of Albert Cottage), Stephan Roman (Author of ‘Isle and Empires - Romanov Russia, Britain and the Isle of Wight’) and Jane Richter (Isle of Wight Guided Tours).
18.00 - 19.00 - illustrated talk by Stephan Roman on Anglo-Russian relations during the period of the Tsars, with a special focus on the Isle of Wight.
19.30 – 21.30 dinner at Albert Cottage. The menu will draw inspiration from that offered to the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra during the Russian Imperial visit to Cowes in August 1909.
Day 2
In the footsteps of Russia’s Radicals
Breakfast
10.00 Depart for Ventnor. Drive along the east coast of the Isle of Wight passing through Sandown and Shanklin. Sandown was the favourite seaside resort of the German Imperial family and famous Germans such as the composer Richard Strauss also holidayed there. Shanklin is famous for its historic village centre and ‘Chine’ valley with waterfalls and sub-tropical vegetation. It was the first place on the Island ever to become a tourist destination and was visited by the great and the good – including Victoria herself, even before she became Queen.
11.00 - 1130 Ventnor - coffee at ‘The Terrace Rooms & Wine’ (shown right - formerly known as St Augustine Villa), where Alexander Herzen, a leading opponent of the Romanovs, used to stay in the 1850’s.
1130 - 11.45 a talk by Lesley Telford from the ‘Ventnor Heritage Centre’ about Ventnor and its general history.
11.45 - 12.30 a talk by Stephan Roman about the Ventnor Radicals who actively opposed Russia’s Imperial rulers in the middle years of the nineteenth century. The political, literary and social thinking that emerged from Ventnor helped lay the foundations for the Russian Revolution of 1917.
1230 - 14.00 lunch at The Terrace, Ventnor
14.15 - 15.00 guided walk along the Esplanade in Ventnor, passing where many radicals stayed including Count A.K Tolstoy and the writer, Ivan Turgenev.
15.15 – 15.45 visit Ventnor Heritage Centre
15.45 – 16.45 return to Albert Cottage, driving along the Military Road (scenic road that runs along the south coast of the Island). You will pass Blackgang Chine, associated with Ivan Turgenev and his most famous novel ‘Fathers and Sons’, and St Catherine’s Down, with its unique monument to Tsar Alexander I.
16.45 – 18.00 free time at Albert Cottage. A light tea will be available in the Victoria Room.
18.00 depart for Cowes. Cross by the Floating Bridge to Cowes, following in the footsteps of the Russian Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, the eldest daughters of the last Tsar, Nicholas II.
18.30 – 19.30 visit Medina Bookshop, Cowes. Welcome by Peter Harrigan, Director of Medina Publishing.
1945 – 22.00 dinner at the Smoking Lobster, one of the top seafood restaurants on the Isle of Wight (non-seafood dishes also optional).
Day 3
In the Footsteps of Russia’s Imperial Family
Breakfast
09.30 -10.00 briefing in the Victoria Room by Jane on Osborne House and its history.
10.00 - 10.30 visit to Romanov Memorial, East Cowes.
10.30 – 11.30 visit to Queen Victoria’s Royal Church at Whippingham.
11.30 -15.00 visit to Osborne House (English Heritage). This was the home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and was well known to the Romanov family.
Please either pre-book tickets online or buy at the venue upon arrival. (Price for these not included in the package.)
You will have a chance to explore the Queen’s state and private apartments and then walk through the grounds to the Queen’s private beach and visit the Swiss Cottage, where the royal children played (including the future Empress of Russia, Tsarina Alexandra).
Jane will give a talk before you enter the House and both she and Stephan will accompany the group around Osborne and its grounds. Coffee and lunch can be enjoyed at Osborne where there are several cafes offering a choice of sandwiches, cakes and hot dishes.
Food and drink at Osborne house are at your own expense.
15.00 return to Albert Cottage.
15.00 - 16.00 light afternoon tea available in the Victoria Room before departing for the Red Funnel Ferry in East Cowes.
(Should you wish to stay on for the weekend, this is of course entirely your choice - indeed, the timing offers the perfect opportunity for you to do so!
And if you require any further assistance of any kind - including guiding - over the weekend, please let me know, we will be more than happy to oblige.)
Inspired by These Tours?
These sample itineraries are simply starting points. Every tour is shaped around your interests, pace, and practicalities — from where it begins and ends to how much you see in a day. Some guests choose a “Good to Go” favourite; others enjoy building something entirely their own.
To explore the different themes you can mix and match, take a look at the Tours page.