Cowes

Cowes is situated on the northern tip of the Isle Of Wight facing Southampton and across the Medina estuary from the smaller town of East Cowes which is linked via a chain ferry. It is believed the smaller town existed first, known as Shamblord and West Shamblord came later. The name Cowes probably comes from the 2 forts built under Henry VIII which were known as Cowforts.

In the town of Cowes itself are many small shops, pubs and restaurants situated in small meandering streets. There is a car ferry from East Cowes to Southampton and the RedJet high speed catamaran service at Cowes, both run by Red Funnel. A journey from London to the Isle Of Wight taking a train from London Waterloo to Southampton, then bus to Southampton Quay followed by the crossing on the RedJet to West Cowes can take as little as 90 minutes!

Cowes is probably most well known for Cowes Week, a world famous yachting regatta held in August and the power boat races which base themselves in the Cowes area. On the other side of the Medina estuary is Osbourne House, once home to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; this is the most visited attraction on the Island. This stately and grand house with it’s huge and spectacular grounds is fully operated by English Heritage and open to public all year round.

Other attractions in the area include:

• Osbourne Golf Course - 9 holes in the spectacular grounds of Osbourne House
• Northwood Park - tennis courts and bowling green with views of the Solent
• Goodleaf Tree Climbing - new for 2008, professionally supervised tree climbing

Cowes is always a popular place to visit for all ages and is only a 10 minute drive from Newport and 25 minutes from Yarmouth.