A regular ferry links this picturesque little port to Lymington on the mainland.
Yarmouth was once the principal port on the island which was why Henry VIII ordered the building of Yarmouth Castle (English Heritage) in 1547.
It was garrisoned until 1885 but is now disused, though much remains. Visitors can view rooms recreated in the 16th-century style and an exhibition about shipwrecks. The castle affords magnificent views over the Solent.
The town also boasts a quaint old Town Hall, a working pier, and a 13th century church rather unhappily restored in 1831. It’s worth going inside to see the incongruous statue on the tomb of Sir Robert Holmes, Governor of the Island in the mid-17th century.
During one of the countless conflicts with the French, Sir Robert had captured a ship on board which was a French sculptor with an unfinished statue of Louis XIV. The sculptor had been on his way to Versailles to model the king’s head from life.
Sir Robert decided that the elaborate statue of the king (in full French armour) would do nicely for his own tomb. The sculptor was ordered to replace the royal head with Sir Robert’s. No doubt deliberately, the artist made a poor fist of the job and the head is decidedly inferior to the rest of the statue.
A mile west of Yarmouth, Fort Victoria Country Park is one of the major leisure complexes on the Island and uses the area around one of Palmerston’s forts.
Attractions for all ages include unspoilt sandy beaches, woodland walks, a huge model railway, a state-of-the-art Planetarium and astrodome theatre, an aquarium, underwater archaeology centre and a café.
