Isle Of Wight

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{{Infobox England county| name = Isle of Wight | image = ] | motto = All this beauty is of God | map = ] | status = [Ceremonial counties of England & [Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England/[Unitary authority county | origin = | region = [South East England | arearank = [List of Ceremonial counties of England by Area | area_km2 = 380 | adminarearank = | adminarea_km2 = | adminhq = [Newport, Isle of Wight | iso = GB-IOW | ons = 00MW | nuts3 = UKG11 | poprank = [List of ceremonial counties of England by population | popestdate = {{English statistics year--> | pop = {{English cerem counties|POP=IOW-->140,000 | density_km2 = {{English cerem counties|DEN=IOW-->368 | adminpoprank = [List of non-metropolitan counties of England by population | adminpop = {{English admin counties|POP=IOW--> | ethnicity = 98.7% White | council = Conservative | exec = {{English county control|CTY=IOW--> | mps = *[Andrew Turner (politician) [Conservative Party (UK) -->

The Isle of Wight is an England island and Counties of England in the English Channel five miles from the South Coast of Britain. It is situated south of the county of Hampshire and is separated from mainland Britain by the Solent. Popular since Victorian Era as a holiday resort, the Isle of Wight is known for its natural beauty and for its world-famous sailing based in Cowes.

The Island possesses a rich history including its own brief status as a vassal kingdom in the fifteenth century. It was home to the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Victoria of the United Kingdom had her much loved summer residence and final home Osborne House built in East Cowes. Its maritime history encompasses boat building and sail making through to the manufacture of flying boats and the world's first hovercraft. Its space history includes the launch of the Black Arrow and Black Knight (rocket) space rockets. It is home to the Bestival and the recently revived Isle of Wight Festival, which, in 1970, was one of the largest rock music events ever held. The island is also one of the richest fossil locations for dinosaurs in Europe.

In 686 AD, it became the last part of the British Isles to convert to Christianity, a century after the rest of Great Britain had done so. Saxon Graves at Shalfleet, Isle of Wight History Centre, August, 2005 England, A Narrative History, Peter N. Williams The English Accept Christianity, The Story of England, Samuel B. Harding

The island is the smallest Ceremonial counties of England in England (when not including the predominantly urban counties of Bristol and the City of London) at 380 square kilometre (147 Square miles), just beating the revived Rutland at 382 km² (148 sq mi), although at low tide it is actually larger than Rutland. With a single Member of Parliament and 132,731 permanent residents according to the 2001 census, it is also the most populated List of Parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom in the United Kingdom. It was once part of Hampshire.

History at Carisbrooke Castle

The Norman Conquest created the position of Lord of the Isle of Wight. Carisbrooke Priory and the fort of Carisbrooke Castle were founded. The Island did not come under full control of the crown until it was sold by the dying last Norman Lord, Lady Isabella de Fortibus, to Edward I of England in 1293. The Lordship thereafter became a Royal appointment, with a brief interruption when Henry de Beauchamp, 1st Duke of Warwick was crowned King of the Isle of Wight, Henry VI of England assisting in person at the ceremony, placing the crown on his head. He died in 1445, aged 22. With no male heir, his regal title expired with him.

Henry VIII of England, who developed the Royal Navy and its permanent base at Portsmouth, fortified the Island at Yarmouth, East & West Cowes and Sandown, sometimes re-using stone from dissolved monasteries as building material. Sir Richard Worsley, Captain of the Island at this time, successfully commanded the resistance to the last of the French attacks in 1545; the French attempts to conquer the Island being decisively stopped after the English victory in the Battle of Bonchurch. Much later on, after the Spanish Armada in 1588, the threat of Spanish attacks remained and the outer fortifications of Carisbrooke Castle were built between 1597 and 1602. During the English Civil War Charles I of England fled to the Isle of Wight, believing he would receive sympathy from the governor, Robert Hammond. Hammond was appalled, and incarcerated the king in Carisbrooke Castle.

and its grounds are now open to the public

Victoria of the United Kingdom made Osborne House on the Isle of Wight her summer home for many years and, as a result, it became a major holiday resort for members of European royalty, whose many houses could later claim descent from her, through the widely flung marriages of her offspring. During her reign, in 1897, the World's first radio stationhttp://www.connected-earth.com/Galleries/Telecommunicationsage/Awirelessworld/Theoriginsofradio/index.htm was set up by Guglielmo Marconi, at the Needles battery, at the western tip of the Island.

In 1904, a mysterious illness began to kill honeybee colonies on the Island and had nearly wiped out all hives by 1907, when the disease spread to the mainland and decimated beekeeping in the British Isles. Called the Isle of Wight Diseasehttp://beebase.csl.gov.uk/public/BeeDiseases/adultDiseases.cfm, the cause of the mystery ailment was not identified until 1921, when it was traced to the mite Acarapis woodi. The disease (now called Acarine Disease) frightened many other nations, because of the importance of bees in pollination of many food plants. Laws against importation of honeybees were passed, but this merely delayed the eventual spread of the parasite to the rest of the world.

The Isle of Wight Festival could describe several events, but usually the term refers to one very large Isle of Wight Festival that took place near Afton Down, West Wight in 1970, following two smaller concerts in 1968 and 1969. The 1970 show was notable both for being one of the last public performances by Jimi Hendrix and for the number of attendees reaching, by many estimates, 600,000 Movies (despite only 50,000 tickets being sold), and overtaking the attendance at Woodstock in the previous year. The Festival was revived in 2002 and is now an annual event, with other, smaller musical events of many different genres across the Island becoming associated with it.

Physical geography and wildlife Isle of Wight is approximately diamond in shape and covers an area of 380 sq km (147 sq mi). Slightly more than half of the Island, mainly in the west of the Island, is designated as the Isle of Wight AONB. The Island has 258 sq km (99.6 sq mi) of farmland, 52 sq km (20 sq mi) of developed areas, and 92 km (57 mi) of coastline. The landscape of the Island is remarkably diverse, leading to its oft-quoted description of "England in Miniature". The West Wight is predominantly rural, with dramatic coastlines dominated by the famous chalk downland ridge, running across the whole Island and ending in The Needles stacks — perhaps the most photographed aspect of the Isle of Wight. The highest point on the Island is St Boniface Down, at 241 m (791 ft), which is also a Marilyn (hill). and Alum Bay.

The rest of the Island landscape also has great diversity, with perhaps the most notable habitats being the soft cliffs and sea ledges, which are spectacular features as well as being very important for wildlife, and are internationally protected. The River Medina flows north into the Solent, whilst the other main river, the Eastern Yar (river), Isle of Wight flows roughly north-east, emerging at Bembridge Harbour on the eastern end of the Island. Confusingly, there is another entirely separate river at the western end also called the Western Yar (river), Isle of Wight flowing the short distance from Freshwater, Isle of Wight Bay to a relatively large estuary at Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. Where distinguishing the two becomes necessary, each may be referred to as the eastern or western Yar. The south coast of the Island adjoins the English Channel. Without man's intervention the Island may well have been split into three with the sea breaking through 1) at the west end of the Island where a bank of pebbles separates Freshwater Bay from the marshy backwaters of the Western Yar east of Freshwater, and 2) at the east end of the Island where a thin strip of land separates Sandown Bay from the marshy basin of the Eastern Yar, east of Sandown. Yarmouth itself was effectively an island with water on all sides and only connected to the rest of the Island by a regularly breached neck of land immediately east of the town.

Island wildlife is remarkable, and it is one of the few places in England where the red squirrel is flourishing, with a stable population (Brownsea Island is another). Unlike most of England, no grey squirrels are to be found on the Island Operation Squirrel, nor are there any wild deer but, instead, rare and protected species, such as the dormouse and many rare bats, can be found. The Glanville Fritillary butterfly's distribution in the United Kingdom is largely restricted to the edges of the crumbling cliffs of the Isle of Wight.

A competition in 2002 named the Pyramidal Orchid as the Isle of Wight's county flower.http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/plantlife-discovering-plants-county-flowers.html Plantlife: County flowers.

The Island is known as one of the most important areas in Europe for finding dinosaur fossils. The eroding cliffs also assist hidden remains to become more visible.

Climate Being one of the furthest south points in the UK, the Isle of Wight has a warmer climate than other areas which results in high levels of tourism, particularly along the south of the island. It also has a longer growing season than other areas in the UK.

{| class="wikitable"|-!! Jan! Feb! Mar! Apr! May! June! July! Aug! Sep! Oct! Nov! Dec|-| Avg High (°C)| 8| 8| 10| 13| 16| 19| 22| 21| 19| 15| 11| 9|-| Avg Min (°C)| 1| 1| 2| 3| 7| 9| 11| 11| 9| 7| 3| 2|-| Mean (°C)| 4| 4| 6| 8| 11| 14| 16| 16| 14| 11| 7| 5|-| Avg Precip (mm)| 89| 61| 66| 48| 56| 53| 41| 56| 66| 79| 84| 89|}http://uk.weather.com/weather/climatology/UKXX1881 Isle of Wight Climate Statistics.

Geology circa 1910The Isle of Wight is made up from a wide variety of different rock types which date from Early Cretaceous times (around 127 million years ago) to the middle of the Palaeogene (around 30 million years ago). All the rocks found on the Island are sedimentary, made up of mineral grains from previously existing rocks. These are all consolidated to form the rocks that can be seen on the Island today, such as limestone, mudstone and sandstone. Rocks on the Island are very rich in fossils and many of these can be seen exposed on the beaches as the cliffs erode.

Cretaceous rocks, normally red, show that the climate was previously hot and dry. This provided suitable living conditions for dinosaurs. Dinosaur bones and footprints can be seen around the Island along beaches, especially at Yaverland and Compton bay.

Along the northern coast of the Island there is a rich source of fossilised shellfish, crocodiles, turtles and mammal bones. The youngest of these dates back to around 30 million years ago.

The Island is mainly made up of Tertiary clays, in most of the northern parts of the Island, limestone, upper and lower greensands, wealden and chalk.

Politics , 1859-60.The Isle of Wight is a Ceremonial counties of England and Metropolitan and non-metropolitan county county. As it has no district councils (only the County Council), it is effectively a Unitary authority county, although not officially. It is unique in England in this way — all other unitary areas are single districts with no county council, while the Isle of Wight is the other way round. It also has a single Member of Parliament, and is by far the most populous Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency) in the united Kingdom (more than 50% above the average of English constituencies).

As a constituency of the British House of Commons, it is traditionally a battleground between the Conservative Party (UK) and the Liberal Democrats. The current MP, Andrew Turner (politician) is a Conservative, and his predecessor Dr Peter Brand was a Liberal Democrat.

The Isle of Wight Council election of 2005 was a landslide victory for the Conservative Party, displacing the long serving "Island First" group, a coalition of Liberal Democrats and independents.

There has been a minor regionalist movement, in the form of the Vectis National Party and Isle of Wight Party, but this has generally performed badly in elections.

Demographics From the census taken in 2001, the island's population was at 132,731. This shows a change of 5.4% since the last census in 1991 which is a higher increase than the average for the UK at 2.6%. The mean age of people from the island is 43.19. This is higher than the national average of 38.65.

From the 2001 census data, the population on the Isle of Wight by age group is:

{| class="wikitable"|-! Age Group || United Kingdom || Isle of Wight UA|-| Total || 58789194 || 132719|-| 0-4 || 3486469 || 6437|-| 5-9 || 3738160 || 7604|-| 10-14 || 3880609 || 8459|-| 15-19 || 3663899 || 7417|-| 20-24 || 3546151 || 5564|-| 25-29 || 3867115 || 6155|-| 30-34 || 4493585 || 8084|-| 35-39 || 4625810 || 8746|-| 40-44 || 4151580 || 8448|-| 45-49 || 3735964 || 8399|-| 50-54 || 4040437 || 10133|-| 55-59 || 3338861 || 9619|-| 60-64 || 2879948 || 7951|-| 65-69 || 2596843 || 7441|-| 70-74 || 2339231 || 7085|-| 75-79 || 1966929 || 6445|-| 80-84 || 1313547 || 4524|-| 85-89 || 752787 || 2750|-| 90+ || 371269 || 1458|} Population 2001 census data

The lack of a university on the island causes many younger people to leave to do higher education. The Isle of Wight is also considered an attractive place for many people to retire, due to the perception that it is more peaceful than the rest of the UK. This results in a higher population of older people.

The most popular religion on the island is Christianity, with 73.72%, however this census question was optional and 7.89% did not wish to state a religion.

Main towns

Newport, Isle of Wight is the county town of the Isle of Wight and is located in the centre of the Island and is the main shopping area on the Island. Recent developments include a new bus station with retail complex and a new retail park on the outskirts. Located next to the Medina River, Newport was once a busy port until the mid-19th century, but has now been mainly converted into art galeries, apartments and other meeting places.
Ryde, The Island's biggest town with a population of around 30,000, is located in the north east of the Island. It is a Victorian town with a half-mile long pier and four miles of beaches, attracting many tourists each year.
Cowes is the location of Cowes week every year and where many people across the UK go to go sailing. It is also the home of famous sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur.
Sandown is another seaside resort, attracting many tourists each year. It is also home to the Isle of Wight Zoo and Dinosaur Isle geological museum, and an 18 hole golf course.
Shanklin just south of Sandown, also attracts tourists by its sandy beaches. Its main attractions are Shanklin Chine and the old village.
Ventnor is on the south coast of the Island and is built on steep slopes leading down to the sea which attract many tourists. Recent developments include Ventnor Haven, a harbour on the coast of Ventnor.

The Isle of Wight has no cities, the largest town is Newport, and is also its county town, in the centre of the island. There are also smaller towns along the coasts particularly on the east side of the Island. Many of these such as Sandown and Ryde attract many tourists each year.

As well as the major towns, the island also has many smaller villages, some of which also attract many tourists for example Godshill.

Culture Language and dialect The distinctive Isle of Wight accent is a somewhat stronger version of the traditional Hampshire dialect, featuring the dropping of some consonants and an emphasis on longer vowels. This is similar to the West Country dialects heard in Southwestern England, but less removed in sound from the Estuary English of the Southeast. In common with many other English regional dialects and accents, a strong Island accent is not now commonly heard, and, as speakers tend to be older, this decline is likely to continue.

The Island also has its own local and regional words. Some words, including grockle (visitor) and nipper/nips (a younger male person), are still commonly used and are shared with neighbouring areas. A few are unique to the Island, for example overner (a mainlander who has settled on the Island) and caulkhead (someone born on the Island or, for sticklers, those born there from long-established Island stock). Other words are more obscure and used now mainly for comic emphasis, such as mallishag (meaning caterpillar) and nammit ("noon-meat", meaning food). Some other words are "gurt" as in large or great, also "gallybagger" as in scarecrow..

Sport Cowes is a world-famous centre for sailing, playing host to several racing regattas. Cowes Week is the longest-running regular regatta in the world, with over 1,000 yachts and 8,500 competitors taking part in over 50 classes of yacht racinghttp://www.skandiacowesweek.co.uk/web/code/php/main.php?section=home.In 1851 the first America's Cup took place around the Island. Other major sailing events hosted in Cowes include the Fastnet race, the Round the Island Racehttp://www.roundtheisland.org.uk, the Admiral's Cup, and the Commodore's Cuphttp://www.rorc.org/comcup/.

The Isle of Wight Marathon is the United Kingdom's oldest continuously held marathon, having been run every year since 1957 http://www.rydeharriers.co.uk/Marinfo.htm. The course starts in Ryde, passing through Newport, Shanklin and Sandown, before finishing back in Ryde. It is an undulating course with a total climb of 1,505 feet.

The Island is home to the Isle of Wight Islanders Speedway team, who compete in the sport's second division, the 'Premier League. The club was founded in 1996, with a first-night attendance of 1740. The Island is also home to the Wightlink Raiders, an ice hockey team based at Ryde Arena. They compete in the English Premier League, the 2nd Division in the country. There is also an ENL team, Vectis Warriors, also based at Ryde Arena.

The now-disbanded Ryde Sports F.C. was founded in 1888 and became one of the eight founder members of the Hampshire League in 1896. There are several other non-league clubs such as Newport (IW) F.C.. There is an Isle of Wight Saturday Football League with three divisions, and a rugby clubhttp://www.iwrfc.co.uk/, plus various other sporting teams http://www.solent.tv/sports.aspx. Beach football is particularly prevalent on the Island and boast several of the nation's premier clubs, such as the Wight Knuckle Ryders.

The Isle of Wight competes in the bi-annual International Island Games Association, which it hosted in 1993 and will host again in 2011.

Music The Isle of Wight is also the home of the band The Bees. Recently they have been having more national success and often perform at smaller concerts on the island. The Isle of Wight is also home to the Isle of Wight Festival and the Bestival.

Economy .This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Isle of Wight at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.{| class="wikitable"|-! Year || Regional Gross Value AddedComponents may not sum to totals due to rounding || Agricultureincludes hunting and forestry || Industryincludes energy and construction || Servicesincludes financial intermediation services indirectly measured|-| 1995 || 831 || 28 || 218 || 585|-| 2000 || 1,202 || 27 || 375 || 800|-| 2003 || 1,491 || 42 || 288 || 1,161|}

Industry and agriculture The largest industry on the Isle of Wight is tourism, but the Island has a strong agricultural heritage, including sheep and dairy farming and the growing of arable crops. Traditional agricultural commodities are more difficult to market off the Island because of transport costs, but Island farmers have managed successfully to exploit some specialist markets. The high price of these products overcomes the transport costs. One of the most successful agricultural sectors at present is the growing of crops under cover, particularly salad crops, including tomatoes and cucumbers. The Isle of Wight has a longer growing season than much of the United Kingdom and this also favours such crops. Garlic has been successfully grown in Newchurch, Isle of Wight for many years, and is even exported to France. This has led to the establishment of an annual Garlic Festival at Newchurch, which is one of the largest events of the Island's annual calendar. The favourable climate has led to the success of vineyards, including one of the oldest in the British Isles, at Adgestone near Sandown . Lavender is also grown for its oil . The largest sector of agriculture has been dairying, but due to a low milk price, and strict UK legislation for UK milk producers, the dairy industry has declined. There were nearly one-hundred and fifty dairy producers of various sizes in the mid-eighties, but this has now dwindled down to just twenty-four.

The making of sailcloth, boats and other connected maritime industry has long been associated with the Island, although this has somewhat diminished in recent years. Cowes is still home to various small marine-related companies such as boat building.

Although they have reduced the extent of the plants and workforce, including the sale of the main site, GKN plc operates what was once the British Hovercraft Corporation a subsidiary of, and known latterly, when manufacturing focus changed, as Westland Aircraft. Prior to its purchase by Westland, it was the independent Saunders-Roe. It remains one of the most notable historic firms, having produced many of the flying boats, and the world's first hovercraft.

The Island's major manufacturing activity today is in composite materials, used by boat-builders and the wind turbine manufacturer Vestas, which has a wind turbine blade factory and testing facilities in Newport, Isle of Wight and East Cowes.

Bembridge Airfield is the home of Britten-Norman, manufacturers of the world-famous Britten-Norman Islander and Britten-Norman Trislander aircraft. This is shortly to become the site of the European assembly line for Cirrus Design light aircraft. The Norman Aeroplane Company is a smaller aircraft manufacturing company operating in Sandown. There are have been 3 other aircraft manufacturers that built planes on the Island. A list of aircraft and airplane manufacturers as well as airfields on the Isle of Wight

In 2005, Northern Petroleum began exploratory drilling for petroleum, with its Sandhills-2 borehole at Porchfield but ceased operations in October that year, after failing to find significant reserves.

Breweries There are three breweries on the Island. Goddards Brewery in Ryde which opened in 1993http://www.goddards-brewery.co.uk/aboutus.htm; David Yates, who was head brewer of Burts and Island Brewery, started brewing as Yates Brewery at the Inn at St Lawrence in 2000 http://www.yates-brewery.co.uk/; Ventnor Brewery, under new management, is the latest incarnation of Burt's Brewery which has been brewing on the Island since the 1840s http://www.ventnorbrewery.co.uk/1840.html.

Services Tourism and heritage The heritage of the Island is a major asset, which has for many years kept its economy going. Holidays focused on natural heritage, including both wildlife and geology, are becoming a growing alternative to the traditional seaside resort holiday. The latter has been in decline in the United Kingdom domestic market, due to the increased affordability of air travel to alternative destinations.

Tourism is still the largest industry on the Island. In 1999, the 130,000 Island residents were host to 2.7 million visitors. Of these, 1.5 million stayed overnight, and 1.2 million visits were day visits. Only 150,000 of these visitors were international visitors. Between 1993 and 2000, visits increased at a rate of 3% per year, on average. A website with Isle of Wight statistics for investors

At the turn of the nineteenth century the Island had ten Pier#Pleasure piers including two at Ryde Pier and a "chain pier" at Seaview, Isle of Wight. The Victoria Pier, Cowes in Cowes succeeded the earlier Royal Pier, Cowes but was itself removed in 1960. The piers at Ryde, Seaview, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor originally served a coastal steamer service that operated from Southsea on the mainland. The piers at Seaview, Shanklin, Ventnor and Alum Bay were all destroyed by storms during the last century. Today only the railway pier at Ryde and the piers at Sandown, Totland Bay (currently closed to the public) and Yarmouth survive. Blackgang Chine is believed to be the oldest theme park in the UK, if not the world.

As well as more traditional tourist attractions, the Island is often host to walking holidays http://www.wight-walks.co.uk. or cycling holidays through the attractive scenery. Almost every town and village on the Island plays host to hotels, hostels and camping sites. Out of the peak summer season, the Island is still an important destination for coach tours from other parts of the United Kingdom and an annual walking festival has attracted considerable interest.

A major contribution to the local economy comes from sailing- and marine-related tourism to Cowes.

Transport

Sea

By far the main form of access is by boat from the mainland, with regular vehicle ferry services and passenger services being available through the ferry companies:

Red Funnel — operates a car and passenger service between Southampton and East Cowes. High speed passenger-only services to Southampton operate from "West" Cowes under the name of "Red Jet".
Wightlink — operates a car and passenger service between Portsmouth and Fishbourne, Isle of Wight (near Ryde), and between Lymington and Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. It also operates a passenger-only service between Portsmouth Harbour railway station (train station) and Ryde Pier (train station) under the name "Fast Cat" (known as the 'Vomit Comet' by the locals due to its colour), so named because the boats used are catamarans.
Hovertravel — carries passengers between Southsea and Ryde aboard a hovercraft.

There are regular proposals for further routes, and during Cowes Week additional services have been known to operate — notably a fast catamaran service between West Cowes and Lymington.

Rail

The Island is the home of the smallest train operating company in the United Kingdom's National Rail network, the Island Line, Isle of Wight. This runs some 8½ miles from Ryde Pier Head railway station to Shanklin railway station, down the eastern side of the island via Brading and Sandown. These are electric trains, using former London Underground rolling stock.

The Island also has a steam-operated heritage railway, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. The steam railway connects with the Island Line at Smallbrook Junction railway station. This was part of the former Ryde to Newport line.

Before the days of Richard Beeching in the 1950s/1960s the Island boasted a comprehensive railway network based on a triangle of lines connecting Ryde, Newport and Sandown. Branch lines led from Sandown to Bembridge and from Newport north to Cowes and west to Yarmouth and Freshwater. Two other lines ran to Ventnor:

an extension of the aforementioned Island Line from Shanklin and

a branch of the Newport-Sandown line via Godshill and Wroxall.

The two lines terminated at different levels above the town.

Today much of the old rail network has been converted to cycle ways, including the Newport-Cowes, Newport-Sandown and Yarmouth-Freshwater sections. Other sections can still be traced on the ground, including the two tunnels where the Ventnor lines were taken through the downs.

Roads

A sign used to greet visitors to the Island disembarking from the car ferry at Fishbourne, Isle of Wight, stating Island Roads are Different, Please Drive Carefully. Hansard 20 Dec 1995 : Column 1457 It is a joke amongst local residents that the reason Island roads are different is due to a lack of maintenance by the Council. Nevertheless the lighter traffic, quieter roads and slower speeds are noticeable to the visitor and are one of the reasons the Island has remained attractive to tourists from the busier mainland. The Island has 489 miles of roadway and is one of the few counties in the UK not to have a motorway.

Buses

The main bus company for the Isle of Wight is Southern Vectis. It provides a total of 24 different bus routes for the island with most of the island towns getting a 24 hour service. The most regular services run between the larger towns such as Ryde and Cowes. From April 2006, the company changed its livery on all buses (excluding open top buses) to two shades of green and also operated buses on a newly designed, simplified network. This new network did not allocate certain routes with different livery, as had been done previously. During the summer, Southern Vectis also operates four open top tour routes, The Medina Tour, The Sandown Bay Tour, The Downs Tour and The Needles Tour. These are popular for many tourists visiting the island during the Summer months.

Wightbus also operate buses on the island, mainly taking students to and from school, however they do also help Southern Vectis with some of its routes.

Walking and cycling

The Island has an extensive network of byways, bridleways, footpaths and cycle tracks, including 520 miles of public rights of way. Several long distance paths are highlighted on Ordinance Survey maps and local signs, including a coastal path round the whole Island. Sustrans National Cycle Network routes 22 and 23 have sections through the Isle of Wight, including off road sections of route 23 between Cowes and Newport and Newport and Sandown along disused railway lines. There is a signed round the island cycle route primarily on road, as well as a 12 mile on and off road leisure route called the Sunshine Trail. The Island holds an annual Walking Festival in May and Cycling Festival in July.

Air

There are two small airfields for general aviation: Isle of Wight/Sandown Airport at Sandown and Bembridge Airport. These are busy with day-trippers in summer, travelling by light aircraft.

Fixed Link

Currently the only way to get to the island is by boat, a fixed link by tunnels or bridges has been discussed.

Communications All of the Island telephone exchanges are broadband enabled and in addition, some urban areas such as Cowes and Newport are covered by cable lines. Some areas, such as Arreton, have no broadband in certain places.

Media

The Isle of Wight has one local broadsheet newspaper, The Isle of Wight County Press. It discusses local issues and is published each Friday, or on the last working day if a public holiday falls on a Friday.

The Island's television station was Solent TV. In March, 2006, it was launched onto Sky. Unfortunately, this was not financially sustainable and the station became insolvent, causing its closure on Thursday, 24th May, 2007.

The Island has one radio station, Isle of Wight Radio, broadcasting on 107 and 102 FM and the internet. It is a commercial radio station and is listened to by many Island residents. The Island has access to other nearby local radio stations. However, these are based off the Island.

Prisons The Island geography, close to the densely populated south of England, led to it gaining three prisons: Albany (HM Prison), Camp Hill (HM Prison) and Parkhurst (HM Prison) which are located outside Newport on the main road to Cowes. Albany and Parkhurst were once among the few Category A prisons in the United Kingdom until they were downgraded in the 1990s. The downgrading of Parkhurst was precipitated by a major escape: three prisoners (two murderers and a blackmailer) made their way out of the prison on 3 January 1995 for four days of freedom before being recaptured. Parkhurst especially enjoyed notoriety as one of toughest gaols in the British Isles and "hosted" many notable inmates, including the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and the Kray twins.

Camp Hill is located to the west of, and adjacent to, Albany and Parkhurst, on the very edge of Parkhurst Forest, having been converted first to a borstal and later to later a category C prison. It was originally on the site of an army camp (both Albany and Parkhurst were barracks), where there is a small estate of tree-lined roads with well-proportioned officers' quarters (with varying grandeur according to rank, but now privately owned), to the south and east.

Education There are sixty-nine Local Education Authority-maintained schools on the Isle of Wight, and two independent schools. As a rural community, many of these schools are small, with average numbers of pupils lower than in many urban areas. There are currently five high schools. However there are plans to close at least one. There is also the Isle of Wight College, which is located on the outskirts of Newport.

The Island uses a middle school system.

Major events Many events take place each year across the island, all designed to appeal to different groups of people. Many of these take place in the summer, and so attract many tourists visiting the island. A few notable examples include:

{| class="wikitable"|-! Event! Description! Running Dates|-| Isle of Wight Festival], Bob Dylan and The Who, the festival was discontinued in 1970; but was revived in a modern format in 2002.]| A music festival held in the late summer, at a country park, Robin Hill. The event is considered much more alternative and diverse, which appeals to families. Many people attending wear fancy dress. A few notable acts include The Scissor Sisters and The Pet Shop Boys.]| An annually held fundraising event organised until 2006 by the Newchurch Parish Sports & Community Association and since then by the Garlic Festival Ltd The Garlic Festival Ltd. It has over 250 stallholders selling many locally produced foods such as garlic beer, garlic seafood and garlic ice cream. Music performances take place and the event also has a large central arena for other activities.| 1985-present|-| Cowes Week].| 1826-present|-| White Air| White Air is an extreme sports festival held in Yaverland, on the eastern side of the island, near Sandown. In 2007 the date was moved from October to August. It is a week long event. The event also has a live music stage and in 2006 had headlining act The Bees performing.| 1996-present|}

Famous residents Over the years, the island has had many well known visitors. Many come over for health reasons due to the cool sea breeze and clean air. For example, Winston Churchill and Karl Marx. Perhaps not a globally famous person, Alan Titchmarsh the renowned UK gardener, also has a connection to the Isle of Wight and will assume High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight duties on the island.

Selected places of interest

Alum Bay
Appuldurcombe House
Blackgang Chine
Brading Roman Villa
Carisbrooke Castle where King Charles I was imprisoned
Dimbola Lodge home of Victorian photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron
Dinosaur Isle
Fort Victoria (Isle of Wight)
Godshill, and Model Village
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Zoo, Yaverland
The Needles The Old Battery - museum and tearoom
Osborne House where Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, had their country residence
Quarr Abbey
Robin Hill
Ventnor Botanic Garden
Yarmouth Castle associated with King Henry VIII

Notable media references

The 1980s pop group Level 42 is from the Isle of Wight.
The Northumbrian scholar, Bede, recorded the arrival of Christianity on the Isle of Wight in the year 686.
The Beatles' song "When I'm Sixty-Four", written by Paul McCartney, refers to a rented summer cottage on the Isle of Wight.
Called The Island in some editions of Thomas Hardy's novels in his fictional Thomas Hardy's Wessex.
The Isle of Wight is the setting of Julian Barnes's novel England, England.
The Island also features in John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids and Simon Clark's sequel to it, The Night of the Triffids.
In the radio series Nebulous, the Isle of Wight has been accidentally disintegrated by Professor Nebulous while he was trying to move it slightly to the left.
Bob Dylan recorded the songs "Like a Rolling Stone", "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)", "Minstrel Boy", and "She Belongs to Me" for the album Self Portrait live on the Isle of Wight.
The Isle of Wight is the setting in D.H. Lawrence's book The Trespasser, filmed for TV in 1981 on location.
In the 1966 novel Colossus (novel), the entire Island is selected for the development of a new base by the supercomputer, Colossus.
The Isle of Wight is the setting of Graham Masterton's book Prey.
Parts of Frágiles (Fragile: A Ghost Story), a 2005 mlovie starring Calista Flockhart were filmed on the island.
It is said that Karl Marx visited the Isle Of Wight on numerous occasions while he was writing The Communist Manifesto.