London - Generations have flocked to the Isle of Wight to see Queen Victoria’s magnificent seaside home Osborne House. It was ‘impossible to imagine a prettier spot’, she famously declared.
And now the island is gearing up for a wave of interest after the Valentine’s Day wedding of Oscar-nominated Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter.
Victoria and Albert were newlyweds when they fell in love with the island. They designed and built Osborne House as a refuge from the stifling royal court, a place to relax with their nine children. The house still boasts the same private beach where they bathed far from the prying eyes of her subjects.
Today, you can stay within the grounds - in two cottages called No??1 and No??2 Sovereign’s Gate. They both sleep four, and you can explore the grounds long after the house has closed to the public.
Not all the royals were so enthused by the island, however. Charles I was a prisoner in Carisbrooke Castle before being shipped back to be executed.
After a couple of nights at Osborne, we set off for The George Hotel in the harbour town of Yarmouth, driving past 110-year-old thatched St Agnes church and on to the chalk stacks of the Needles.
The Charge of the Light Brigade was required reading at my school, so I took another detour to Faringford, the estate of Alfred Lord Tennyson, who was a familiar figure striding the downs amid the wild orchids in his distinctive hat.
The bracing sea air was worth, according to Tennyson, ‘sixpence a pint’.
A pint costs a bit more these days in Yarmouth, where sleek speedboats are moored yards from the hotel garden. The wall of Henry VIII’s fortress gives shelter from the sea winds so you can dine alfresco for most of the year.
It might only be a matter of time before The George boasts its first Michelin star, which explains why Cumberbatch and 140 of his friends spent the night here.
In years to come, will there be a plaque saying the Sherlock idol spent his last night here as a bachelor?
A much earlier visitor, Charles Darwin, summed up the Isle of Wight as ‘the nicest seaside place which we have ever seen’. I couldn’t agree more.
Star spot: Benedict Cumberbatch stayed at the George in Yarmouth
Daily Mail