The Isle of Wight technically has everything you need to survive. You don’t need to visit the mainland. You can get all of your groceries, take part in loads of outdoor activities, and generally live a very good life.
Just because you don’t have to do something, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Islanders are proud to live where they live, but the mainland still has lots to offer. Here are 8 reasons why people visit.
To commute to work
The Isle of Wight doesn’t always have the best job prospects. Employment figures are slightly lower than elsewhere in the UK (though this is likely skewed somewhat by retirees), and many people commute to the mainland for their job on one of several boat journeys.
Trips from the island to the mainland take under an hour by boat, and as little as ten minutes depending where you are travelling to and from. Cowes to Southampton is the longest, and this takes around 55 minutes. Journeys to Portsmouth are shorter. If the weather is particularly bad, as it has been recently, then check to make sure travel is not disrupted.
City nightlife
The idea that the Isle of Wight has little in the way of nightlife is a bit of a myth. The island comes alive in the summer with music festivals, with big events such as Bestival and more local celebrations. The island has a bowling alley and cinemas, and bigger towns like Newport have quite a few bars.
However, if you’re looking for a taste of city nightlife like clubs and huge gigs, you probably won’t find it year-round on the Isle of Wight. Many musicians will tour Southampton and Portsmouth, but miss the island off their schedule. A trip to the mainland is a must if you want to see your favourite artist in action!
Visit a casino
The Isle of Wight has yet to get a casino. If you want to play live poker or check out live table games, then Portsmouth may be your best bet, although online poker lobbies such as GGpoker are growing in popularity with locals and provide a good alternative. You can find a Grosvenor near the seafront at Gunwharf Canary. Along with the usual casino games, Grosvenor has a restaurant, sports room and jackpot slots.
There’s also three casinos on the mainland in Southampton. You can find a Grosvenor, Admiral and Genting. Admiral mostly offers slot machines and electronic games, whereas Grosvenor and Genting are full service casinos. You could head there and take a tour of all three if you want to make a night of it.
As the Isle of Wight shares legislation with the rest of the UK, you can still play online casino games despite the lack of casinos. Players can go on popular sites like 888, which offers all of the games you would expect to find in a physical casino, with additional bonuses and the convenience of playing online casino gaming from home. A casino trip is fun, but is it always worth the trip?
Those shops you don’t get on the island
There are lots of supermarkets on the Isle of Wight, mostly concentrated around the bigger towns. Newport has an Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys, as well as stores like Marks and Spencers, Matalan and TK Maxx. The island is also famous for its artisan produce and local markets.
However, there are some stores that you simply won’t find on the Isle of Wight. You won’t be stepping foot in a Homebase, Wilkinsons or IKEA for a start. You may find that every now and then you need to take a trip out to make a one-time purchase.
Watch league football
Cowes Sports FC play in the Wessex League Premier Division. This is the ninth tier in the FA. Newport are in the Wessex League Division One, a further tier down the rung. It’s always great to support your local teams, but it’s also exciting to head over to the mainland and check out serious league football.
For Islanders, that means either Southampton or Portsmouth. Portsmouth play in Division One, and are currently in with a run at a top four spot. Southampton currently sit mid-table in the Premier League, only four points behind Manchester United.
Study at University
The Isle of Wight does not have a university of its own. It’s still possible to get a degree level education through the Isle of Wight College, which is approved by a mainland university. Many still opt to head to the mainland for their studies.
There are universities in Portsmouth and Southampton, as well as further afield in London. Whether for the diversity in options and courses, or for the experience of moving away, education is a fair reason to visit the mainland.
To take a flight
There are no commercial flights to and from the Isle of Wight. This means that jetsetters will have to head further afield to travel or go on holiday. Most international flights will be from Gatwick or Heathrow in London, which is admittedly quite far. There are also regional airports in Southampton and Bournemouth.
If your flight is overbooked, then you could be entitled to compensation for overbooked flight.
Hit high peaks
There are no mountains on the Isle of Wight. Plenty of beaches, cliffs and countryside to take a nice stroll, but not much in the way of peaks. The highest point is St Boniface, standing at 241m high. The official minimum height of mountains in the UK is 600m.
Unfortunately, many of the UK’s highest and most dramatic peaks are in Wales, or up in the North in the Lake District or Scotland. It’s a fair old drive to get to those. Your nearest options are Yes Tor and High Willhays in Dartmoor, though really you should go to the Lakes.
Go for a long drive
If you live somewhere in the centre, then you can get anywhere on the Isle of Wight in around 30 minutes. Even if you take the longest drive possible, from Alum Bay to Bembridge, then it should still take less than an hour as long as you don’t hit summer traffic. There are no motorways, and barely a dual-carriageway in site.
For a lot of Islanders, this is a really appealing characteristic of the Isle of Wight. It’s convenient and hassle-free. If you’re a fan of taking a long drive, then you’ll have to head to the mainland to really hit the road.
That’s it folks. There’s not much that the Isle of Wight can’t deliver, and we’re thankful for everything that it offers. But as we said, that doesn’t mean we can’t visit the mainland every now and then.
The ninth reason is, the relief when you get back here of how much nicer it is than most places.
That would all change should we have a fixed link, so keep it as it is.