Sandpipers
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You may find this relevant information helpful when researching the area prior to your visit
Bembridge Airfield is the home of Britten-Norman, manufacturers of the world-famous Islander and Trislander aircraft. This is shortly to become the site of the European assembly line for Cirrus light aircraft. The Norman Aeroplane Company is a smaller aircraft manufacturing company operating in Sandown. There are have been 3 other aircraft manufacturers that built planes on the Island.
A major contribution to the local economy comes from the world-famous international sailing regatta, Cowes Week, which is held every August and attracts over a hundred-thousand visitors to the Island. Other major sailing events are held at Cowes, including the Admiral's Cup held biennially in July and the Commodores' Cup in August.
Breweries
There are three breweries on the Island. Goddards Brewery in Ryde which opened in 1993; David Yates, who was head brewer of Burts and Island Brewery, started brewing as Yates Brewery at the Inn at St Lawrence in 2000; Ventnor Brewery, under new management, is the latest incarnation of Burt's Brewery which has been brewing on the Island since the 1840s
Before the days of Richard Beeching in the 1950s/1960s the Island boasted a comprehensive railway network based on a triangle of lines connecting Ryde, Newport and Sandown. Branch lines led from Sandown to Bembridge and from Newport north to Cowes and west to Yarmouth and Freshwater. Two other lines ran to Ventnor:
an extension of the aforementioned Island Line from Shanklin and
a branch of the Newport-Sandown line via Godshill and Wroxall.
The two lines terminated at different levels above the town.
Today much of the old rail network has been converted to cycle ways, including the Newport-Cowes, Newport-Sandown and Yarmouth-Freshwater sections. Other sections can still be traced on the ground, including the two tunnels where the Ventnor lines were taken through the downs.
Roads
A sign used to greet visitors to the Island disembarking from the car ferry at Fishbourne, stating Island Roads are Different, Please Drive Carefully. It is a joke amongst local residents that the reason Island roads are different is due to a lack of maintenance by the Council. Nevertheless the lighter traffic, quieter roads and slower speeds are noticeable to the visitor and are one of the reasons the Island has remained attractive to tourists from the busier mainland. The Island has 489 miles of roadway and is one of the few counties in the UK not to have a motorway.
Buses
The main bus company for the Isle of Wight is Southern Vectis. It provides a total of 24 different bus routes for the island with the most regular routes going to major towns such as Ryde and Cowes. From April 2006, the company changed its livery on all buses (excluding open top buses) to two shades of green.
Air
There are two small airfields for general aviation: Isle of Wight Airport at Sandown and Bembridge Airport. These are busy with day-trippers in summer, travelling by light aircraft.
Fixed Link
Currently the only way to get to the island is by boat. There has been much debate about whether to build a permanent fixed link to the island in the form of either a bridge or a tunnel, however there is still a lot of local opposition to such plans, so it is unlikely such a development would occur for some time.
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