Tuesday 15 July 2014

Cowes 101

With summer well and truly here in Britain I thought i'd start my 101 posts with a place very close to my heart, what I believe to be one of the best places in the UK to spend a summer and my beautiful home town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

Cowes is a town swamped in history, royal, naval, industrial and everywhere inbetween. So called cowes due to the two large sandbanks on the East side and West sides of the Medina river that supposedly (in the 1400's) looked like cows. A small town of less than 10,000 people, the population can more than double during the summer months as some of the worlds most famous sailing regattas call Cowes their home.

When to go: 
Cowes week! The worlds earliest sailing regatta brings huge crowds to Cowes and sends the town into a frenzy, including pop up bars, night clubs and restaurants, live music and an atmosphere second to none. The town becomes a party mecca and is frequented by celebrities.
Cowes Week 2014 is the 2nd until the 9th of August.
The summer in general is pretty good though, I can't say that the winter is buzzing to be brutally honest.

Where to stay:
Cowes is full of B&B's and a small number of hotels, a quick google search is all you need. It's also easy to rent houses or apartments. It's great if you stay in the town as it's so small it's very easy to stagger home from the pub! Nearby there are both Thorness bay and Gurnard Pines holiday park if your'e a caravan or chalet fan.

Where to lunch: 
Weather permitting I would say go get a Tiffins Baguette and sit on the beach. You can choose from their massive range of fillings for baguettes, sandwiches or salads, and they do a mean yoghurt shake. Baguette wise, brie and bacon is always a winner. If theres a bit more of a chill in the air I still recommend going to the beach but go and get fish and chips from Corries Cabin. Certain days of the week you'll even get it in Newspaper!

Where to dinner:
There are loads of great restaurants in Cowes and pubs doing good food, but a relative newcomer to the scene is The Coast. I've only had good experiences here, they have a full menu and they've got a pizza oven. What more does one need!? It can get busy here to booking for large groups or on weekends is recommended. It's got a cosy but modern feel and has some outdoor seating.

Where to get coffee:
Dr Bean's in the Pelham House Gallery, i'm not just saying this because the family who own it are friends of mine, but they do do the best coffee in Cowes. They've got a lovely little outdoor seating area and indoor seating in the gallery. Perfect for a catch up.
If you fancy a cosy corner for a cup of tea and a book try Joliffes at the other end of the high street. The Gallery/coffee shop in an Art nouveau building with original features. Customers and staff are always friendly.




Where to drink: 
If your'e looking for a tasty cocktail in a jam jar head to newcomer the Mess Canteen. This place is really cool and a good mix of vintage and modern without trying too hard. They have an in house band on a Thursday and also have a pretty good food menu. This place is tiny though and gets very busy, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. There is only one toilet though which can be a problem after necking some delicious cocktails but still the place to go.


Where to party:
In Cowes week you are presented with a number of opportunities, Banyan Beach tiki club and another pop up club over at Shepherds Wharf marina give you somewhere to dance the night away. Outside of Cowes Week go to the Anchor Pub of a Friday Night. They've got a big bar in the old stable behind the pub, have live music and it's great for a good dance. For the smokers they've also got an enormous covered outdoor seating area.

Banyan Beach

Where to shop:
Clothes shopping wise Cowes doesn't have any of your typical high street chains but is home to many sailing apparel stores. I did find a nice pink hat in Musto the other day I might need to buy.
Buff and Live Like This are brother and sister shops and are more akin to something you'd find in London or Brighton but they are super cool, and great if you need a card, new china, cool cookware, beautiful stationary or a great gift. The shops are also full of amazing things you never even knew you needed! The guys that run them too are super nice.


What to do:
This is why it's better in the Summer. Coastal Walks (up to Gurnard from Cowes is nice, quite short but theres a pub at the end), long lunches and large glasses of Pimms dominate my summers here. If your'e into sailing thats the obvious option but if your'e not a sailor theres all sorts of water sports and sailing courses you can enrol onto to try it out! If you fancy anything from windsurfing to kayaking, sailing to power boating check out both the IYWAC and UKSA websites. Courses range from a couple of days to a number of weeks.

How to get here: 
Take the Red Jet High speed ferry straight from Southampton, or the East Cowes car ferry and drive over the floating Bridge into West Cowes. The town is also easy to get to from any other destinations on the Island.
Alternatively bring your boat over and leave it in one of the many Marinas in the Medina Estuary and use the water taxi to get about.

Anything else you might want to know, give me a shout!


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