To bloody love the Isle of Wight?

[BarbaraVineFan]

I’m here now with my 86 year old dad and 5 year old DD. We come every year and rent a cottage, and always have the best time! There’s so much to do in all weathers, the scenery is gorgeous and everyone we meet is friendly. But I don’t know, people sometimes seem a bit sniffy about it as a holiday destination, as though it’s old fashioned or unfashionable or something. AIBU to love it and not to understand why it isn’t seen as a ‘naice’ holiday destination like Cornwall or the Lake District?

Not joking - from the timings that's what I'd assume, don't they have any vans on the island?

Limited number. Like the police & ambulance service, they get topped up from the mainland at peak times

Not been there for over 15 years. But I always loved it.

I actually have no idea, I ended up organising my own breakdown, and then tried to call them but the wait time was too long so I thought sod it and had a call from the mechanic later . I then cancelled my policy and didn’t even receive an apology. Compared to Green flag who left me 5 hours the other week and were lovely and also gave me compensation without me even asking. And to be fair to Green Flag I was safe in a supermarket carpark with a teenager not on a remote cliff with a young child like I was with the AA incident

Lived and worked there for 5 years about 20 years ago.

Lovely for a holiday, especially with small children, beautiful old fashioned (in a good way) beaches and attractions.

However, people are incredibly insular and there isn't much diversity - they don't call it the "Isle of White" for nothing. I met many people who had never left the island or been once to the mainland ona day trip in 1960s and didn't like it. I heard more reports of racism from my healthcare colleagues who were non-white, than I have heard anywhere else having lived in multiple places across the South of the UK. One of my colleagues with a voice like a 1950s BBC newreader booked a haircut, when he arrived at the barbers with his brown face on display, even though the place was almost empty, the owner said "Sorry we are fully booked", when challenged that he had phoned and booked earlier in the day "that was my brother, he must have made a mistake".

Everything shuts down early - once had to walk back to Newport from Cowes as we went to the cinema to watch a film that finished late and there were no buses, we called a taxi firm who were shocked that anyone would want a taxi late at night.

We were delivering 1990s medicine for some things because to get the latest up to date treatment you had to get across to the mainland and because it was time-critical treatment, it was impossible to get the patients over to Southampton in time.

@SeelineCalbourne Water Mill and Amazon World for the wallabies. Both still here!

Gosh it sounds so lovely! That empty beach is a joy to behold!