Day 1 Mid-morning departure for the ferry crossing to the Isle of Wight and to Sandown for a stay of four nights.
Day 2 A day at leisure to explore Sandown. You could wrap up warm and take a stroll along the promenade, walk along the coastal path or take the local transport to a nearby town or village.
Day 3 Today you will head off on an Island tour, which starts with a coffee stop at the Wight Mouse Inn in Chale, and from here you follow the coastal scenery of Freshwater Bay to Alum Bay where you will stop to grab a snack and admire the ‘Island’s’ most famous landscape, The Needles. Afterwards you will travel the short distance to Yarmouth, a compact town with narrow streets, small harbour and attractive houses and return by way of Cowes and Ryde.
Day 4 This morning head to Osborne House, a former royal residence in East Cowes, The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo. Time to explore the state rooms which will hopefully be dressed for Christmas and the ornate gardens. You will return to the hotel mid-afternoon to enjoy tea/coffee, biscuits/cake/stollen in the lounge followed by a general knowledge quiz.
Day 5 After breakfast, depart the hotel and commence the homeward journey.