Simple pleasures: great getaways on the Isle of Wight

Queen Victoria loved it there, and so have generations of seaside holiday-makers ever since

If picturesque cycling, coastal walks and simple seaside pleasures float your boat, make the Isle of Wight your first port of call. Home to Queen Victoria’s summer retreat, Osborne House, the island has 20 beaches and a series of unspoilt coves. A network of cycle and walking trails covers 17 miles of coastline and countryside. Famous for the Cowes sailing regatta in July and August, the 147-square-mile island also offers every water sport going, from kayak surfing and windsurfing to paddle-boarding and parasailing.

We explored by bike, our wheels borrowed from Foresters Hall, an impeccable, 14-bedroom Grade II-listed boutique hotel. Situated on a cobbled street in Cowes old town, Foresters is a five-minute walk from the Red Jet terminal – the journey to East Cowes from Southampton Quay takes 28 minutes.