Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2015 | Page 82

COUNTRY LIFE

In the
Country

Sam's tip for the countryside!

Geocaching!

by Sam Biles
Sam Biles is Managing Director
of country Estate Agents:
www.bilesandco.co.uk

F

or an entertaining way to enjoy the countryside try
www.geocaching.com - and use a smart phone to
find a hidden geocache - a container where you can log
your presence and trade a small memento. With 2 million
worldwide and many on the Island it’s a great way to go to
places you’ve never been – and its free!

The changing
face of tourism
Sam Biles looks at the changing tourist scene in the Island’s countryside

I

t is interesting to note how the tourism
facilities in the Island’s countryside
have changed over the last 30 years
and how visitor’s habits have changed.
Attractions such as Yafford Mill, Arreton
Manor and, Haseley Manor no longer
open to the public or on a regular basis
- each for their own reasons and some
such as Brickfields are gone whereas 30
years ago each of these was a regular
port of call for many Island visitors.
Crowds used to seek out the traditional
tourist venues such as Winkle Street in
Calbourne but it is rare to see more than
a few visitors at a time there now rather
than the lines of early 20th century
charabancs that used to line the green.
Yet farm shops often with their tea
rooms seem to be a popular destination
with Farmer Jacks, Briddlesford,
Mottistone and the Dairy Deli now joined

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by the Cow Co with its spectacularly
painted Cows, restaurant and play area
in a panoramic setting on high ground
with views both to the Solent and to the
Channel.
Tea rooms have disappeared from
several villages but the tea room - pottery
experience in Chessell seems to be a
winning combination. The Island has
always been popular with those seeking
active leisure pursuits and our roads and
trails seem to be ever more popular with
cyclists as the coast seems to have many
more surfers and kayakers. The freedom
and independence of these sports seems
to suit the modern less-regimented
mindset rather than the organised
outings of yesteryear.
The internet has undoubtedly changed
the way that all Island businesses operate
– on one hand the immediacy and

availability of information on the web links
supplier and customer like never before;
on the other increased competition and
reduced margins are a challenge. Perhaps
too, today’s visitors are less interested in
looking at rural bygones and artefacts
due to the increased quality of television
documentaries and programmes re-living
the past - such as Edwardian Farm.
Most of us have seen the 1950s
photographs of Ryde Pier with every inch
thronging with day trippers queuing to
catch the paddle steamer home. Those
days are undoubtedly gone and visitors
to the Island are enjoying themselves in
different ways, using self catering more
and hotels less. The intrinsic beauty of
the Island’s countryside, beaches and
coast mean that it will always be a holiday
destination however visitors chose to
spend their time.