HelpHound

Having sailed to the Isle of Wight, Cowes is a key stop to get back on shore.

Cowes is beautiful and hast plenty of places to visit. Plenty of quaint restaurants to choose from and boutique style shops make for lots of fun. On the river you can still see where the famous Hovercraft used to be launched from as they would travel between Cowes and Southamptom. A very good place to stop by on a visit to the Isle of Wight but make sure you do visit the rest of the Island. It is all very beautiful.

Not to be confused with East Cowes, where the major attraction is a ferry terminal... Cowes is a very nice port town, and home to the famous yachting event, Cowes Week. This takes place the first week in August, and the town is absolutely transformed - jazz bands playing in the evenings, and people in the streets drinking champagne and eating oysters, it''s very nice to visit! There''s also a fantastic fireworks display on the Friday, a brilliant end to the week. It''s pretty the rest of the year , lots of boats in the harbour, and for a few pounds you can have a harbour tour in a motor boat, which is particularly nice on a hot summers day. Lots of nice little shops, they''re all quite pricey because of the yachtie crowd that tend to congregate to Cowes, but they''re still worth a look. A few fantastic cafes (including a Beatles themed one, which is bright yellow and packed full of memorabilia.) Also a good place for supermarkets, there are two decent sized ones. There''s not much in the way of beaches, one pebbly beach to the west of the Royal Yacht Squadron, but it''s largely a port town. It''s very pleasant to walk along the sea wall from the esplanade past the yacht squadron (notice the row of canons used to start Cowes Week!)

Cowes is an English seaport town on the Isle of Wight which is most famous for its sailing festival which happens every Summer in the month of August. Cowes is a gateway town for the Isle of Wight and many holidaymakers come via ferry every year to spend their summer on this gorgeous island. One of the most significant things I noticed when arriving in Cowes is the world's largest Union Jack flag on the hanger doors of the marine manufacturing building. Even though I do not sail, Cowes is the world's premier yachting centre as it is the natural harbour at the mouth of the Medina river. Yachtsmen come from all over the world to participate in the season's prestigious sailing events known as "Cowes Week" as I mentioned earlier.

Apart from the obvious benefits of Cowes for those who are into sailing, it is also great to potter round and shop in. The high street has some really lovely, boutique style shops. It is full of fashionable clothing shops, gift shops, deli's, cafe's, restaurants and lively pubs which makes it perfect for holidaymakers.

If you are in the Isle of Wight then I definitely reccommend a trip here as it is a great holiday town and also has some great beaches-don't miss out!!

I work in Cowes on the Isle of Wight and find it an absaloute pleasure. Better known for the summer festival ''Cowes Week'' It is often flocked with ''Yachties'' as they are known here. It is full of lots of little shops run by local businesses rather than the bigger retail chains like you would find elsewhere. It is surrounded by water and boats, so if you fancy an icecream and a sit along the sea front it is definately the place to go. House prices and rental can be a little expensive because of Cowes Week as people will pay alot of money to come down and see all of the market stalls, fireworks and events that they have going on during that second week in August. They have the most established high school on the Isle of Wight situated in Cowes, Cowes High School, as well as Somerton Middle School and Cowes Primary School which are in walking distance of each other. You also have two supermarkets Co-Op and Somerfields and lots of shops to suit all of your requirements, so you would rarely need to venture out of Cowes. Quite a large percentage of the population in Cowes are of the older generation as there are quite a few retirement homes around and it is so quite and neighbourly.