Ventnor

The town of Ventnor on the south coast of the Isle of Wight was a Victorian spa, and has an architectural style different to the rest of the island. In 2011, it was home to 6,000 people.

Get in
The town is linked to other parts of the Island by Southern Vectis bus service 3, running at half-hourly intervals and 6, running at hourly intervals.

Get around
Ventnor is a very steep town, built on terraces rising from the beach & esplanade, 700 feet to the summit of St Boniface Down. Cycling can be quite difficult on some of these hills, with gradients of 1 in 4 or more. The 2 hills down to the beach in particular are very steep with 2 or 3 sharp hairpin bends.

Walking is by far the best way to get around, and the effort required to do so is one of the reasons why Ventnor became a fashionable health resort in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. There are also buses, the main terminus being outside Boots in the High Street. Ventnor is not connected to the train system anymore.

Walks

 * The Undercliff
 * The Landslip (to Luccombe and Shanklin)
 * St. Boniface Down
 * The beach is much smaller than the huge yellow sands at Sandown and Shanklin but it is less commercial, a better place to go to unwind. There is an arcade, and shops selling ice creams, buckets and spades and other seaside stuff.

Eat
The Met is a stylish tapas bar located right on the Esplanade with views out on the sea. 

The Crab Shed serves great crab and mackerel pasties. They're at the foot of Love Lane, open Apr-Oct: W-Su noon-3PM.

Drink
The Spyglass Inn on the sea front is nice, and you can sit outside and watch the sea. The brave can try the "Oyster Stout" from the Ventnor brewery.

Go next

 * Shanklin