Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent. The Island has many resorts which have been holiday destinations since Victorian times. It is the finish of the 2014 Solent Swim Challenge, organised by Anna Wardley and the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.
A 90 km circumnavigation swim of the Isle of Wight is one of the World's Top 100 Island Swims and is the site of Anna Wardley's Five Island Swim Challenge and the Solent Swim Challenge.
1. Kevin Murphy in September 1971 completed a 90.75 km circumnavigation swim in 26 hours 51 minutes
2. Michael Read MBE in August 1973 completed a 90.75 km circumnavigation swim in 24 hours 36 minutes
3. Alison Streeter MBE in 1984 completed a 90.75 km circumnavigation swim in 21 hours 2 minutes
4. Anna Wardley in 2013 completed a 90.75 km circumnavigation swim in 26 hours 33 minutes
5. Oliver Rush in 2021 completed a 90.75 km circumnavigation swim in a wetsuit in 15 hours 9 minutes
Crossing
- Nick Laker, a British open water swimmer, set the fastest known time across the Solent on 10 October 2021, swimming 2.22 km from Hurst Castle on the British mainland to Colwell Bay on the Isle of Wight in 50 minutes 33 seconds.
History
It has a rich history, including a brief status as an independent kingdom in the 15th century. Until 1995, like Jersey and Guernsey, the Island had its own Governor—most notably Lord Mountbatten from 1969–1974, after which he became Lord Lieutenant until his assassination in 1979.
The Island's maritime and industrial history encompasses boat building, sail making, the manufacture of flying boats, the world's first hovercraft and the testing and development of Britain's space rockets.
It is easily accessible from Southsea by hovercraft. Several ferry services operate across the Solent: the route from Southampton to Cowes is 10 miles (16 km), Portsmouth to Ryde 5 miles (8 km), Portsmouth to Fishbourne 7 miles (11 km), and Lymington to Yarmouth 4 miles (6 km).
The Isle of Wight is approximately diamond-shaped and covers an area of 380 km2. Slightly more than half of the island, mainly in the west, is designated as the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Island has 258 km2 of farmland, 52 km2 of developed areas, and 92 km of coastline. The landscape of the Island is remarkably diverse, leading to its oft-quoted description of "England in Miniature". West Wight is predominantly rural, with dramatic coastlines dominated by the chalk downland ridge, running across the whole island and ending in The Needles stacks—perhaps the most photographed aspect of the Isle of Wight. The South Western quarter is commonly referred to as the Back of the Wight because it has a unique social and historical background.
The Isle of Wight competes in the biennial Island Games, which it hosted in 1993. The Isle of Wight hosted these games again in 2011 with events taking place across the island.
External links
- Oly In A Rush To Make A Difference
- A Rush To Get Around The Isle of Wights
- Anna Wardley Circumnavigating Five Islands
- Anne Wardley Heading Around Jersey By Way Of Singapore
- Anna Canna
- First Circumnavigation Around Tiree Called Short
- Anna Wardley Makes It 3 Out Of 5
- Anna Wardley Wants To Make It A Quartet
- PortSea Island, Challenged And Circunavigated
- Circling Dragonera
- Culture Sport Supports Anna Wardley
- Olympics Come And Go, but Islands Are Forever
- Give Me Five
- Anna Wardley Round And Round She Goes
- 24-hour Club…Swimming All Day And Night
- Anna's Back To Head To The Isle Of Wight
- Swimmers Stoked For Solent Swim
- Swimmers Help Sailors Help Survivors
- Whose Record Will Chloë McCardel Break?
- Anna Wardley's Balearic Swim Challenge
- The Feeling Of Helplessness Is Mutual
- Open Water Swimming
- Marathon Swimming
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Updated 24-Hour Club
- 24-hour Club…Swimming All Day And Night
- Swimming For More Than 24 Hours
- Jellyfish Sting Pain And Relief
