Yarmouth

Yarmouth is in the West Wight and is one of the oldest inhabited areas on the Island dating back over 1,000 years and was originally called Eremue because of the River Yar estuary being muddy.

Notably in Yarmouth is the castle which was commissioned by Henry VIII in the 16th century to form part of his strategic plan for strengthening the Solent from the ongoing French invasions. Yarmouth castle, which is probably more like a fort, has been made open to the public daily courtesy of English Heritage and is a popular visitor attraction of the West Wight.

The village of Yarmouth is small and has kept it’s character with a handful of small shops including a yachtsman’s/saddlery supplier, an arts shop, Gossip’s cafe which overlooks the Solent, 4 public houses and a wine bar - all serving food daily.

In June Yarmouth hosts the Old Gaffers Festival with live music, entertainment, lifeboat demonstrations and much more. This is always popular with everyone and not just sailors! Yarmouth also hosts it’s own carnival in August and never fails to draw in a large crowd of locals and holiday makers alike.

Access to Yarmouth is easy being one of the Island’s ferry ports, linking to Lymington via a 30 minute car ferry crossing run by Wightlink and is just a 5 minute drive from Freshwater and 20 minutes from Newport. Bus services regularly run through Yarmouth from the Totland and Freshwater area, and Newport. For those with a little more energy and a liking of the outdoors a 2 mile walk or bike ride down the cycle-track alongside the River Yar will lead you to Afton in Freshwater.