Isle of Wight (Slow Travel)

This brand-new guide to the Isle of Wight forms part of Bradt's top-selling, award-winning series of Slow travel guides to UK regions. Written by expert author and journalist Mark Rowe, who has visited the island over 30 times since first spending childhood holidays there, it is the perfect companion to help you get the most out of your visit, replete with not just all the practical information you could need, but also all the descriptive detail, anecdote and insider tips to make time spent there truly enjoyable and memorable.

The Isle of Wight is an island that is astonishingly – and unexpectedly – rich in food producers, wildlife, natural beauty, history, archaeology and dramatic landscapes. This is all the more remarkable for it being so close to the densely populated southern edges of England. At just 25 miles x 13 miles, in no other equivalent-sized area of Britain is there such a variety of landscapes (downland, estuaries, hills, saltmarshes, meadows, riverine, beach) or such a concentration of food producers (50+ independents at the last count). Here there is a real Island culture, a creative spirit that is quite quirky and independent.

Bradt's Isle of Wight includes where to go to see red squirrels, where to hire e-bikes, where to go foraging and where is best for families. It also covers historic and present quirks, curiosities and attractions, including Jimi Hendrix's unusual love affair with the island, a day in the life of a ferry master, tree climbing, World War II history, night-time wildlife, the annual walk at low tide to explore the wildlife underneath Ryde's grand Victorian pier, the island's award-winning wines and its dinosaur fossil-rich beaches – of which it has more than anywhere else in the UK!

With 20 maps, including regional, walking and cycling maps, you'll be well placed to navigate your way from one point of interest to another. Whatever your interest, Bradt's Isle of Wight will help you to plan and enjoy a visit to remember.

Mark Rowe is a wildlife and outdoors journalist with 20+ years' experience who has visited the Isle of Wight more than 30 times over the years, first as a teenager, then as a walker and birdwatcher, now as a parent. He knows the island inside out and feels strongly that it has a great deal to offer a wide range of visitors interested in food, wildlife and stunning coastal landscapes, and much more besides. He has an eye for detail and delights in the quirky and unusual side of island life, which is very much part of an experience of visiting. He is also the author of the online Slow Wight Travel Guide.