Little known facts about the IoW (where once I had a pub and a house)
The ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth was, when I was doing the trip regularly, more expensive in terms of pence per mile covered than to fly to the US on Concorde or to pass along the Panama Canal in a luxury cruise liner.
Queen Victoria was so concerned at the amount of obvious inbreeding by the natives that she ordered Lord Palmerston to increase the garrison of soldiers on the IoW to thin out the bloodlines.
IoW people refer to anyone who was not born on the Island as an "Overner". They are of course happy to take your money.
The IoW is not what it was when I was younger ~ back then it was a very laid back hippyish place ~ even before the hippies got there.
Lord Tennyson lived there in Freshwater ~ my house was just up the road but not at the same time obviously.
French Chefs rate IoW garlic very highly and many prefer it to their home grown variety. The IoW Garlic Festival, held in August, attracts people from all over the world. The French Chefs are right ~ IoW garlic is much sweeter and stronger than any I have ever bought in France.
Not a lot of people know that
