That short journey across the Solent feels like an escape – swapping hectic Southampton for quirky Cowes with its lungfuls of fresh air and a charming pedestrianised High Street crammed with all manner of browsable independents. Discover maritime antiques, art galleries, bakeries, a bookshop with music evenings, fashion and homeware. Meanwhile numerous bars, cafes, pubs and restaurants give the town a vivacious atmosphere, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. They include The Coast, Compass Bar for cocktails. Smoking Lobster, The Heron for good value creative dining and The Garden for casual lunches in the quaint walled garden. The Mermaid Garden on a jetty behind the Island Sailing Club is perfect for a G&T with sea views, while The Anchor is a social spot with live music at weekends.
Cowes is a seaport divided by the River Medina into East and West and has a rich maritime history. However, it has also been a party resort for generations. Northwood House, just up the hill from the Esplanade was built by George Ward, a wealthy London merchant, in the late 18th century and remodelled by John Nash in 1837, becoming the fashionable venue for high society balls. In 1845 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built their own seaside retreat on the Island – Osborne House in East Cowes. Today Osborne House is open to the public and Northwood House’s gardens are somewhere people can picnic, with a lawn bar and music at weekends during summer.
Those curious to discover more about Cowes’ maritime legacy can visit its intriguing museums – including the Classic Boat Museum, Maritime Museum and Sir Max Aitken Museum. Otherwise watch the activity on the water from the breezy Esplanade. This leads (eventually) to Gurnard with village green and popular beach attracting foil boarders and kayakers. Best of all are its amazing views over the Solent at sunset.
Ready, Steady, Sail
‘Welcome to the home of world yachting’ reads the sign as passengers step off the Red Jet Hi-Speed catamaran service from Southampton to West Cowes. Sailing events are held from early spring into late autumn and include most notably the Round the Island Race, established in 1931 and organised by the Island Sailing Club, and Cowes Week, one of the landmark events of the British summer. Cowes Week has run virtually uninterrupted since it was first established by the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1826. Held in late July or early August, it runs for seven full days and attracts hundreds of boats and thousands of competitors from around the globe as one of the largest and longest sailing Regattas anywhere in the world.
Bob Trimble has been Chairman of Cowes Week Ltd for three years, although he has been involved in Cowes Week in one way or another for around 25 years and been sailing since he was a youngster.
Bob says: ‘I have the honour to be the current Chairman of the (almost entirely voluntary) organisation running the Regatta. Delivering the best possible quality of racing to our competitors is just one of our priorities. Alongside it is the importance of ensuring a great experience ashore for everyone. In that respect I’m hugely grateful to the town’s traders, council, marinas, harbour authority, and yacht clubs to name only a few of those partners with whom we pull together to create a memorable Cowes Week experience.’
Every day around 35 classes of boats race, with each class taking a specific course around the Solent’s many race buoys. Races last around three hours before returning to a finish line where each of the first three finishers in each class get a gun as they cross the line.
Bob continues: ‘Spectators can view the racing from the shoreline starting from The Parade in Cowes, along the Esplanade and from The Green. Starts can be tense as boats battle to cross the line just after, but not before, their gun. The racing can seem like a colourful melee of boats as they criss-cross each other on their courses. The finishes can be dramatic; bolder visitors can stand immediately behind the booming finish guns.
‘When not viewing the racing, visitors can stroll around Cowes Town which becomes a lively hub of activity for the Week, including Regatta pop-up areas with food stalls, live music and family-friendly entertainment. Visitors, sailors and locals all mingle in the atmosphere of this very British summer experience, blending tradition, sport, and festivity.’
This year’s Cowes Week Regatta ran from Saturday 27 July until Friday 2 August. However, Bob and the Cowes Week Ltd and Combined Clubs Ltd team already have their sights firmly set on the run-up to the Regatta’s 200th anniversary year in 2026. That year will see some very special classes of boats visiting the Solent right through the summer - for what is hoped to be a bumper celebration Regatta.
Place, Pubs and Passion
Cllr John Nicholson, Cowes Town Council Mayor, was born on the Island and has lived here all his life, including Cowes, Gurnard and now Northwood. He was first elected to the Isle of Wight Council in 1993, representing Cowes South and Northwood, and serves on Northwood Parish Council as well as Cowes Town Council.
John says, ‘Being Mayor is an honour, but more than that it is a responsibility that comes with a duty and opportunity. The opportunity now presenting itself, and why I am so excited about this position, is to drive the Cowes and Northwood Place Plan forward. As lead instigator in starting the Place Plan, I am focused on setting objectives and actions against its findings to address the needs of local people, promote Cowes’ strengths and safeguard the area’s character, assets and environment.’
John started his own construction business, John Nicholson Ltd, in 1979, employing all local people. He has gone on to represent the construction industry on local and national levels, as an instigator and campaigner for professional standards in construction.
Outside of work and council obligations, John has been Chairman of the local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for 25 years. He is also passionate about the Island’s history, saying: ‘You can barely take ten steps in Cowes before you discover something unique and interesting!’
Keen to promote awareness of local heritage and culture, he has combined both of these interests by having a lead role in developing a series of historic walks between pubs around the Island (wightwash.org.uk/walks). These include Gurnard Pub Walk, Cowes Beer Walk, which reveals Cowes’ rise as an important seaport during the early 19th century, and Cowes Blitz Walk, which commemorates the action of ORP Błyskawica, a destroyer built for the Polish Navy by Samuel White of Cowes, in defending Cowes from a Nazi bomb-raid in May 1942.
An Island Life for Me
Darren Seward describes himself as a ‘Cowes Boy’. He grew up in Cowes but moved off the island to pursue his career. However, like so many Islanders who leave, he returned a couple of years ago, as Agent Partner, NFU Mutual Isle of Wight, New Forest and Bournemouth.
Darren says: ‘Eventually the Island calls you back! I grew up in Cowes and live right in the heart of Cowes behind the High Street. From the windows at the top of my house I can see where my school used to be.’
He’s a member of the Island Sailing Club, also found just behind Cowes’ High Street.
He continues: ‘Cowes is such a special and unique place, an eclectic mix of maritime heritage, historical significance, scenic waterfront and an incredible vibrancy that I think is born out of its sailing. It’s a blend of tiny streets, marinas, museums, and a High Street full of independent shops, restaurants and cafes all in a very small area. Along with its maritime history, that’s a mix that probably exists in very few places, and it’s that cocktail that makes it special and why I live here.’
GETTING TO COWES
Going on foot? Sail from Southampton to the heart of West Cowes in 28 minutes with the Hi-Speed Red Jet service. Pay just £12.90pp for a Super Off Peak Day Return when two or more people travel together after 10.55am. Dogs on leads are permitted as well as those travelling on foot with a bike.
Travelling by car? The crossing from Southampton to East Cowes with Red Funnel takes one hour, with fares from £68 each way in summer months, valid for a car and up to seven people. Arriving in East Cowes, simply board the Floating Bridge next to the Red Funnel terminal to cross the River to West Cowes in minutes.
