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Isle of Wight
Posted: 17 Jan 2009, 8:16pm
by olon1968
Hello. Thinking of a short break at half term for a friend and I. Does anyone have any experience of the Isle of Wight? What are the roads like? Is there much to do? etc.
We will probably look for a cottage as a base and do day rides of 50miles
or so.
Thanks in advance
Alan
Posted: 17 Jan 2009, 8:20pm
by Tony
Search here for various remarks on the IoW Randonnee. There is a 100km or so route right round the isle, and while it can be nastily hilly in the South, there is nothing truly extreme.
It is a great place to ride, just expensive to get to.
Posted: 17 Jan 2009, 10:47pm
by Cunobelin
Absolutely superb!
The route will depend where you are going to cross..... all the ferries are very cycle friendly.
For a weekend the Randonnee route is a good basis with one reservation. So a few miles on Friday and hit the long stretch on the middle prt of day 2
The south side is hilly and bleak with little available in accommodation between Chale and Freshwater.
There is also a lot of off road - see the links..
The local group (and Randonnee organisers) have an excellent
site with lots of info.
The other hint is to look for "Ferry / Hotel" packages as these sometimes attract a good discount.
For a central base - Newport has a range of pubs and eateries, as well as linking to the north coast (Cowes) and west coast (Sandown) by off road cycle paths - allowing access to the Randonnee route
Posted: 18 Jan 2009, 9:08pm
by Wildduck
Did somebody say randonnee? Gets me and Quackers all excited......
Posted: 18 Jan 2009, 9:40pm
by Cunobelin
Wildduck wrote:Did somebody say randonnee? Gets me and Quackers all excited......
More or less excited than
.......
Posted: 19 Jan 2009, 5:34am
by eileithyia
Great place to cycle, though the main road eastwards out of Yarmouth can be a bit busy.
Other routes can be quite challenging.
Posted: 19 Jan 2009, 12:37pm
by MrsWildduck
I would not like to comment on that one, Cunobelin!!!!!!
But!
Interested to see Wildduck's answer!
Posted: 19 Jan 2009, 1:56pm
by Martin_Edney
A nice place to ride - lots to see and do, and not too much traffic.
If you want a superb longer ride, consider a circuit
- ferry off the island from Yarmouth to Lymington
- ride to Portsmouth through the New Forest and via the coastal NCN
- ferry back onto the island
Posted: 19 Jan 2009, 4:06pm
by Wildduck
Just excited about the IOW randonnee this year. Will be fitter and faster this time round........but that's another thread!
