Is anyone familiar with the IOW and who could give the cons of the place?

We've been looking into it as a place to move with our kids and it seems to offer a lot of what we like. Lots of outdoorsy stuff to do, cafes, beaches etc. The scenery is spectacular and housing seems affordable.

I know the job situation out there is iffy and the whole commute thing would be hard and expensive every day. But if those things weren't an issue, is there something I'm missing? The only thing I can find on the web is that apparently it's a satanist hub. Other than that, from behind my rose tinted glasses it looks fantastic.

Thanks so much!

I was talking to an old lady at the bus stop the other day (as you do). We talked for a good 20 minutes because the bus was late (as they always are).

Her daughter lives on the IOW and because she is ill (the daughter) the woman spends half the year there, on and off. She had nothing but good things to say about the place, said there was always something going on (festivals, etc.) and the place was beautiful (and the weather is so much better than up here, of course!).

She did say it was a "well-off" place, which might be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective.

I only have a week's experience there back in 1981, cruising around with two pals at Easter (one of them was from there). I recall it being very scenic and having the best fish and chips I have ever tasted!

Thanks so much Dunroving! It seems like Utopia does exist after all?

If my bus-stop "old ladyfriend" is to be believed!

A few months ago there was a thread devoted to the IoW, and a fair amount of useful information emerged.. You could probably find the thread. One fact that came out that surprised me, there is no airport and so no commercial air service to the island. (Unless I misremember.)

Ok thanks, I'll look into that. No airport means less noise, I like that!

Ventnor on the Isle of Wight is great. We've had several holidays in the Isle of Wight and always liked it there. You may find it a bit of a 'time warp' I couldn't help thinking whilst driving on the IoW, 'turn left into 1975'. However, if you like it homely then go for it.

There are aero clubs on the island. Which is why the 'Propellor Inn' is so called. The Crab and Lobster pub does excellent seafood and salad. There's any number of pubs i.e. the White Lion, the Red Lion. Most pubs have a 'curry night' on a certain evening or a 'steak night' on a different evening. Chequers Pub at Niton has great food.

The amount of summer tourists and tourist traps might get frustrating. Black Gang Chine is good, but mostly for families. There's lots of lovely coastal and country hikes. The limestone cliff known as 'the needles' is a couple of miles from the 'Tennyson' monument (Tennyson was a historic poet). That's also near the area where space rockets were researched/launched circa 1950 as part of government experiments.

There's a sandstone cliff near the needles that has layers of reddish sand, yellowish sand, greyish sand etc, that's quite interesting.

There's fantastic smuggling stories/legends dating back centuries. (Yes I realise smugglers were murderers and thieves) Excellent ghost stories. The smugglers museum is good. The shipwreck museum is good. Google 'Goodwin Sands cricket match', nothing to do with shipwrecks but historic never the less. There's a 'moon walk' at low tide somewhere on the island, so called because it's the season for the tide to be far enough out to be able to walk when the moon is full - or something like that. The botanical gardens at Ventnor is good. So are the scones in the cafeteria.

The 'Boat Shed' shell fish café at Steep Hill cove, Ventnor does a limited menu very well. The shell fish are caught that morning for the lunch menu. Delicious. There's another restaurant called 'Baywatch on the Beach' which is great for better than average evening meals. A lot of restaurants are 'kid friendly' nuggets & chips style food. I'm not a gigantic snob, we just don't have kids !

We've stayed at Freshwater on the IoW, it was great. We mostly stay at a self catering place called, 'Clarence House' Ventnor. Just Google the name.

Never mind the rumours about IoW inhabitants having six fingers and that their family trees don't fork !

We've had some lovely family holidays on the IOW but a lot of Blackgang Chine had already eroded away into the sea last time we were there, must be nearly all gone by now?

PS I think we also stayed at Clarence House, is it right opposite the park?

Blimey oh riley, yes it is !

Small World

Hi, I lived on IOW for about 2 years, the biggest thing I would say is that you are stuck on an Island, no road in no airport and the ferries are extremely expensive, different if you are there for a holiday. But living there I certainly felt very trapped.

Job opportunities are very limited and many commute, again very expensive and tiring. (and at times sick making!)

Life is quiet, property (was) cheaper, its pretty good in summer when the population about trebles... nice beaches, everything has to be shipped in so more expensive.... there is a definate island mentality! We dont want to know what goes on on the mainland etc etc....

That was my experience!

Yes, having lived on an island for 7 years I remember you can get island fever - but don't a lot of ferries these days have special tickets for residents (like a 10-trip ticket, etc.)?

Where I lived, you had to catch a flight to get off - catching a ferry seems a lot more convenient and less expensive.

Island fever is more of a mental state than reality, sometimes. I'm sure many of us don't go more than a 10- or 15-mile radius of where we live, maybe for weeks.

Thanks everyone for the replies.
It does sound idyllic to us at our time of life, and living on an island won't bother me. I lived on a remote island in Alaska in the 90's so I think the IOW will feel positively cosmopolitan compared to that.
Now the job situation, that could be the real challenge.

Just one other question, is there much crime on the island? My husband is researching and is shocked at the higher rate of general street violence and home invasions compared to the USA. This is after I've had to endure news of 20 years worth of mass shootings but still I have to reassure him...

It is an issue certainly. Here in rural New York, we've never locked our house in 17 years; not even when we go on holiday to England. We never lock our car (except in zucchini season, where the local lore is that you need to keep your car secure so folks don't give you unwanted gifts of garden produce.) If we return to live in the UK, we'll have to lock up every time, be a bit careful where we walk late at night, etc.

I can't help thinking that statistics of minor property crime, anti-social behaviour etc are hard to compare between jurisdictions, because the stats that are collected and the definitions are so different..