I’ve now lived on the Isle of Wight for nearly 7 years. We moved here from Surrey and when we chose to move, I’d visited the island only twice before: once on a camping holiday and once on a research mission. It’s a beautiful island with over 30 wonderful beaches and, in Military Road, the island boasts one of the most iconic motorcycle routes on the planet. On that road you also have Grange Farm Camping, owned by friends of ours and one of the most stunning camp sites in the UK, perched right on the side of the Brighstone cliffs! I’ve camped there many times and will camp there many times in the future!
It’s not huge by any means. 65 miles around following the coast, this diamond-shaped island extends 22.5 miles (36 km) from east to west and 13.5 miles (22 km) from north to south. People often remark that the Isle of Wight is a couple of generations behind the mainland, and in many respects, that’s true and why I enjoy it so much.
I left the UK in 1986 and returned in 2006, 20 straight years on the road and 42 countries later. During that time the UK became “PC” and now is becoming “woke”. The Isle of Wight has yet to embrace “PC” and I’m not sure “woke” will ever arrive here. I’m personally happy with that.
So when I came across this article in the Adventure Bike Magazine by John Norris, I chuckled at his findings. Do read his article and, if you decide to ride the island, shoot me an email and, if I can, I’ll happily show you around. And if by any chance you need a taxi over here, I own and run Friendly Cabs! đź‘Ť