Your Tours
be they ‘good to go’ or ‘create your own’…
Good to go
Below you will find our ever-popular one-day Island-wide panoramic tour. Of course, this is merely one possible version of it and can be personalised and/or upgraded to your own individual wishes.
However, experience has shown us that this works very well within a 7 to 8-hour timeframe for those who want to see as much as possible in one day.
Sure, it doesn’t cover absolutely everything on the Island – that simply can’t be done in an enjoyable and relatively leisurely manner within the time available. But you will certainly have covered a huge amount of ground, that’s a given!
Create your own
You may, however, decide to opt for a completely different day tour which we can work out together. Or you may wish for a longer tour altogether – anything up to 5 days or possibly even longer. The choice is yours - now it’s over to you to click on the buttons below to glean relevant information to assist you in making informed choices as to what you would like to include in your customised tour.
They are areas of interest which enable us, together, to construct your dream tour.
On our Sample tours page, in addition to the panorama tour below – I have also shared another day tour of Cowes and East Cowes along with a 5-day ‘create your own’ tour which I crafted with/for clients last year. For your interest – I have added in brackets the ‘theme’ element from which each tour component was chosen. I can do exactly the same for you!
Good to Go Tour
Round the Island 1-day Panorama Tour
Our signature tour – the most popular choice for those with limited 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!
Create Your Own Tour
Areas of Interest
Below you will find buttons with 8 different themes, each covering a different aspect of the Island (although there is inevitably some overlap). Please remember – mix and match is always the order of the day – no need to stick to any one theme (demonstrated in our 5-day tour example on Sample Tours page). And remember that ‘create your own’ doesn’t mean that I won’t be working alongside you – I will! We will craft your dream tour together.
Fossils and Geology – various tour options, background info on Island creation etc., Compton Bay fossil walks, Freshwater Bay, ‘Dinosaur Farm’ (nr. Chale), Tennyson Down (to Needles) walk, Robert Hooke talk, ‘Dinosaur Isle’ Museum (Sandown), Shanklin Chine and Cliffs, Bonchurch, background info on Robert Hooke, Charles Darwin & Alfred Lord Tennyson (with regard to geology etc.)
War and Peace - various tour options, The Romans (incl. Brading & Newport Villas), Adgestone Vineyard, early Christianity, Carisbrooke Castle (incl. King Charles I, Princess Elizabeth and ’Queen’ Isabella de Fortibus), the town of Yarmouth (plus the Castle), The IOW at War including Bembridge Fort & the Needles Batteries, PLUTO, Marconi, Admiral Lord Nelson’s ‘last sight of British soil’
Royalty, Racing & Rigging (Cowes) – various tour options, history of shipbuilding & sailing, Osborne House, the Royal Church at Whippingham, 2 Maritime Museums: (Classic Boat Museum and Sir Max Aitken Museum), Northwood House, Medina Bookshop, Cowes in general…shopping, harbour cruise etc.
Spiritual & Artistic Wight – various tour options, wellness, mindfulness, Quarr Abbey & St. Cecilia’s, Amy Harmon (author), ghost tours, The Longstone, Mottistone Manor & Church, St. Catherine’s Oratory & Lighthouse, Headon Warren, Christian Pilgrimage, St. Olaves (Gatcombe), Carisbrooke Priory, Retail Therapy, IOW artists & workshops
Victorian Wight –various tour options, Freshwater: Alfred Lord Tennyson & Farringford, Julia Margaret Cameron & Dimbola, ‘Ladies of Calcutta’, St. Agnes Church, Orchards & The Piano Café, Tennyson Down, The Albion Hotel Ryde: incl. railway (with link to Steam Railway), Museum of Ryde, Hovercraft Ventnor – history of health, Ventnor Botanic Garden, Steephill Cove, The Royal Hotel, Ventnor’s art scene
Gardens & Villages - tour option, Ventnor Botanic Garden, Old Chest Hospital history, The Plantation Room Café, Steephill Cove, Bonchurch, Shanklin (‘chocolate box’ thatched cottage tearooms), Shanklin Chine, beach & rock formations, PLUTO & WW2, Godshill (church & model village), The Garlic Farm (Mersley), Osborne (House) Gardens, Carisbrooke Castle Gardens, Farringford Gardens, Mottistone Gardens, Gatcombe Park & Gardens
Literary & Musical Wight – various tour options, Medina Bookshop (Cowes), Isle of Wight Literary Festival, IOW literary heritage, Algernon Swinburne, Charles Dickens and Bonchurch, ‘portable’ presentation by Ian Dickens (great great grandson), Bonchurch Literary Walk, 3 Modern-Day writers: Stephan Roman, Susanna Hoe & Amy Harmon, Isle of Wight (Music) Festivals, Festival room at Dimbola Museum & Galleries etc.
Eat, Drink & Stay – here you will find a selection of recommendations for eateries, watering holes and accommodation of varying types. It isn’t a full list – you will also find additional suggestions on the other pages. To name a few on this page: Accommodation: The Albion, The Terrace (Ventnor), The Royal, The Hambrough, Villa Rothsay, East Dene, Albert Cottage, Haven Hall. Gastronomy: IOW Distillery, RT Café Grill, The Hut, The Rock, Smoking Lobster (x2), The Garlic Farm, The Folly Inn
“My husband and I traveled from the US for the first time to the Isle of Wight for his 64th birthday. I followed the advice of the Beatles song ‘When I’m 64’ to ‘rent a cottage on the Isle of Wight’. We both loved the tour and it was the highlight of our 8 day vacation. We only had 1 full day to see the beautiful Island and Jane squeezed in every adventure imaginable! We were so happy, it was better than we could have dreamed. Jane was so knowledgeable and friendly, doing so many special things for us including arranging a fabulous photographer friend of hers named Paul to document the day as we requested! He was spectacular as well! We saw so many amazing things and learned so much!!! I could go on for days describing it! It was priceless! I wish everyone could experience the day we had! We got to see of all the hidden treasures that we never would have found on our own. She is so well connected on the Island that you can get anything you could possibly want or need.”
— When I’m 64 tour
