Cowes
Enjoy a RIB charter to Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, a town synonymous with boating.
The high street is crammed full of shops selling sailing clothing, accessories, chandlery and sailing items for the home.
We took time to walk past the high street during Cowes Week and see what else Cowes had to offer.
Cowes is a lot more than the high street. As soon as Bluetooth had departed I set off for a walk along The Parade leading to Queens Road. If I won the lottery then this is where I’d love to own a home. The road overlooking the sea has some lovely characterful houses. With at least one puller down / doer-upper!
With the high street behind me, I passed a group of brave swimmers. Laughing as they ran across the road to enjoy a dip in the sea.
I stopped walking when I came to this water fountain on Princes Green.
If you look closely it says “Keep the pavement dry”. This seems like an unusual motto to put on a water fountain. During Victorian times, this phrase was placed onto a lot of cast-iron drinking fountains across the UK and further afield. I can’t however find what it means.
Thanks to The Greenockian I have discovered that the fountain was probably made by W MacFarlane & Co’s in Glasgow. Here is a link to their brochure where on page 4, you can see how it looked when first ordered.
Anyhow a quite picturesque fountain on a lovely green overlooking the sea. There is a snack bar on Princes Green. A lovely place to enjoy a cuppa or picnic whilst looking out across Solent Water.
Rosetta Cottage is also in this area. This is where Winston Churchill’s parents got engaged in 1874.
I carried on walking and having noticed some lion statues came across this monument to Egypt Esplanade. Not only was parking free of charge past this point, with a smattering of small campervans with occupants still asleep.
According to the Isle of Wight tourist board, this is near to the coastal viewpoint between Cowes and Gurnard that was one of Queen Victoria’s favourite places to watch the sunset.
I had a feeling I’d find a story when investigating to find out more about Egypt Esplanade, but it seems no tales of bravery resulting in gifts of lions were forthcoming. Wightpedia suggests that the area has been known as ‘Egypt’ since the 16th century, the name possibly being derived from a settlement of Roma people (then called ‘Egyptians’) who lived then in the area.
The Cannons
The morning was passing me by and with it being Cowes Week I wanted to be back to hear the cannons mark the start of the race. A quick march back down Queens Road and I found myself early, but with a nice spot on the wall next to the cannons.
22 brass cannons stand guard outside the Royal Yacht Squadron. However, it is not these that fire for the start of racing. These are more ornamental I believe.
There is a permanent warning sign on the wall in the area. I thought the racing was due to start at 10 am so I was hanging around for a bit. It was good to see the loading of the cannons and preparing the flags. As soon as the ear muffs went on I was ready with my phone camera.
Once the cannons had gone off and the racing had started I wandered back along Cowes High Street. In between the nautical shops, there are some great independent shops and food outlets along the way.
Slightly off the High Street, I noticed this great mural, so here I will end my whistle-stop tour of Cowes. Hopefully, I’ll get back again soon and can continue exploring.
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How long to get there
From Hamble Point Marina it takes around 30 minutes to reach Cowes onboard one of the Bluetooth RIBs
Restaurants and Bars
There are a variety of great places to eat in Cowes. As seasons change the restaurants do also.
Here are a handful that we have enjoyed over the years. We’d love to hear where you’ve dined and would recommend.
The Harbour Kitchen (HK) is a great little independent bistro on Cowes High Street. It serves award-winning burgers alongside an array of other tasty-sounding dishes.
Paradice, is great for tasty ice creams and a cup of tea.
If it’s not an ice cream type of day then 2 doors down is a gorgeous bakery called Well Bread which offers a lovely variety of cakes, bread and savoury treats.
Nic has also enjoyed one of the ‘best sandwiches ever’ from The Food Hamper.
One of the best views has to go to Pontoon View, the cafe/restaurant at Cowes Yacht Haven. You can sit and enjoy a snack or lunch whilst overlooking the marina. A great place to spend time in the sunshine – or the gazebo if the weather isn’t playing ball.
New for 2024 is the Mermaid Garden.Which will be stunning on a beautiful day. Views across the water, Mermaid Gin literally on tap and tasty pizza that is made across the way. We enjoyed lunch there – a little rough and ready, but has a great vibe.
Where to moor
You’ve got two main choices to moor in Cowes.
If there is space, you can moor along the wall at Town Quay boats will raft against so do pop the fenders out. Payment here is made via your phone – just follow the info on the sign.
If that area is full or you’d like a proper berth then moor at Cowes Yacht Haven. They have Bluetooth on their system for easy payment.
