Blogging from A to Z 2026 - W is for Isle of Wight

As I travel the world I take many photos that pique my interest. During the year April 2025 to March 2026 our travels included visits to many islands large and small. My theme for 2026 Island Hopping will give precedence to Islands visited in the past year but for those difficult letters like X and Z I will dig into my photo archives for content.

The Isle of Wight is another former Bucket List site from my archives. We had sailed past her several times when cruising out of Southampton but never visited. I was keen to visit Queen Victoria's holiday shack Osborne House. This was a bespoke tour we organised ourselves. In June 2024 we hired a rental car, booked ferries to and from the Island and found our own accommodation. 

"The Isle of Wight (/waɪt/ WYTE) is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and skerries, is also a ceremonial county. The county is bordered by Hampshire across the Solent strait to the north, and is otherwise surrounded by the English Channel. Its largest settlement is Ryde, and the administrative centre is Newport."  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight

I'm not sure I agree with Queen Victoria who said "it is impossible to imagine a prettier spot." I think I've visited some prettier but I still had a very enjoyable few days on the island.

Image from Osborne House

In this post I will share some images that highlight the pretty things I saw on the Isle of Wight. Our dated "Fawlty Towers" style accommodation will not feature in this collection.

Pretty Cute

Pretty Sunset

Pretty Curly

Pretty Bland

Pretty Ugly

Pretty Ostentatious

Pretty Delicate

Pretty Awful

Pretty Corny

Pretty Wild

Pretty Sharp

Pretty Informative

Pretty Deserted

Pretty Quaint

Pretty Serene

Pretty Row

Pretty Sensible

Pretty Impressive

Pretty Green

Pretty Arches

Pretty Thatch

Pretty Sad

Struck off the Bucket List

On our recent European jaunt I was able to tick off a site on my Bucket List.

When we disembarked at dawn from our plane at Heathrow on October 18th we headed straight for Avis and collected a rental car. We set out on a leisurely drive via the coast to Dartmouth where we would be staying for a couple of nights. We were delighted to find our comfortable accommodation with a bay window looking over the River Dart,  After exploring the town we purchased some provisions for a picnic dinner in our room before we hit the sack. We had been travelling for over 30 hours.

View from our Bay Window

Jet lag had us awake bright and early for our big day out to Greenway, the country home of Agatha Christie. A ferry ride across the river and some winding country roads delivered us to the carpark ready for opening hour. 

Ferry across the River Dart

Armed with cameras and smartphones we wandered down the long driveway to Agatha's house. Let's see what was inside.

We started our visit in a Living Room

Agatha aged four

The doll in Agatha's portrait

Impressive chest in Agatha's room

A pretty collectible

Agatha's Bedroom

Clothes belonging to Agatha and her daughter Rosalind

Agatha's throne

The library at Greenway

Agatha aged 20

Impressive door stop

Nursie who taught Agatha to read and write

The house is full of family collections

On the kitchen shelves

Agatha's favourite recipes within

One happy old bibliophile with her souvenir

Upclose at Coleton Fishacre

Sometimes, when travelling, one comes across a site that is a gem.

We have a membership of the National Trust in Australia which gives us reciprocal access to National Trust sites in the UK. Having visited Greenway on our last trip to England and with a few hours to spare we looked around for other National Trust Properties in  that vicinity. We found Coleton Fishacre, a 20th Century country house by the sea: it was just fabulous.

Armed with our cameras we took some #Upclose photos inside and outside of the property. We learnt how the privileged lived in the 1930s.

We started with soup in the cafe

This chap was sad that he wasn't allowed in the house

Most rooms had a garden view

The furniture was typical of the era

The bathrooms were copies of those in Claridge's hotel

When smoking was cool

Not Upclose but what a room

Martini Madam?

Tropical and desert plants thrived