Hiskins Properties

Shingles in the Winter

The cottage is the ideal retreat in the winter months. Whether you want to relax in and around the house or get out enjoy the islands natural habitat. The house is fully centrally heated and double glazed.

During the winter the Isle of Wight becomes a sleepy coastal resort. The island goes back to being a quiet tranquil place where the locals go about their day to day and have the time to chat and relax. When the sun seekers leave the wildlife comes out of hiding and for a few months of the year the whole place releases a sigh.

Island Walks

Compton Beach

The Isle of Wight has a wealth of footpaths and bridleways and is reputed to have more footpaths per square mile than any other English county - from a 60 mile coastal path, to easy circular routes, and short town trails - there are over 500 miles of well maintained paths on an island that measures 23 by 15 miles. The Coastal Path can be walked in four days at a leisurely pace. The coastline is varied from white chalk cliffs to quiet estuaries. Almost half of the coastline is designated "Heritage Coast", a definition applied only to coastlines of the highest quality and unspoilt nature. Inland the chalk downlands are the home to many unique wild flowers and fauna, and the Island has some of the most picturesque villages in the country.

Cycle Routes

The many quiet countryside roads on the island make it very good for cycling. As well as the roads the is a considerable network of designated cycle tracks and routes as well as miles of public bridleways for those who like off road cycling. Current established cycle routes include Cowes to Newport, Sandown to Newport, Wotton to Newport and Yarmouth to Freshwater as well as a shorter route connecting Newport to the Mountbatten Centre. More details on the cycle routes can be found on the Cyclewight web site or via Sustrans (the UK's leading sustainable transport charity) which includes the definitive National Cycle Network map. There is also a well sign posted 'Round the island' road route which can be easily followed by those wanting to cycle right round the island.

Dinosaur Isle

The Isle of Wight is renowned as one of the top locations in the UK for fossil hunting. When the sea is beating hard against the coast, it's a great time to go fossil hunting. If you've only got time to visit one beach, Compton Bay near Freshwater is the place to go. You can be guaranteed to get a picture of yourself or one of the kids standing in a genuine dinosaur footprint. lookup; www.dinosaurisle.com

Island Winter Nature

Pied Wagtails
The Isle of Wight is also home to one of nature's spectacles - which takes place at Ryde around sunset. Ryde Pier was the first pier to be built in England in 1813. Over a hundred Pied Wagtails gather at the end of the pier for an amazing nightly show during winter. The rest of the year this black and white bird with a bobbing tail is a solitary and highly territorial creature, associated with fast flowing streams. But in winter the Pied Wagtail is one of the few insectivorous birds that remains in the UK. Yellow Wagtails and most of our warblers head off to the African sun at this time of year but the Pied Wagtail toughs it out. The bird is drawn to man-made structures and places like sewerage works where it's warmer and where insects will be attracted to warm up on stone and concrete structures. The birds' communal winter roosts can attract tens, hundreds and sometimes even thousands of birds. Pied Wagtails flock together to roost for a variety of reasons - a good warm place is hard to find so it makes sense to share it. Also there is safety in numbers and, amazingly, the roost acts as an information exchange. Birds which are having difficulty in finding food simply follow the birds that are in better condition in the morning.

Red Squirrel Haven
The Isle of Wight is one of the last southern refuges for the Red Squirrel which has lived on the island since just after the Ice Age. Winter sees these popular animals at their most colourful and because they're hungry they are a little bit easier to get close to. The ancient woodland of Alverstone Mead is a 55-acre mixed habitat nature reserve one mile from Sandown. You're almost guaranteed to see Red Squirrels as the wardens feed them and have around five individual squirrels around the hide. Because of its small size the Isle of Wight is a natural treasure - a tiny conservation goldfish bowl. Not only does it have fantastic woodland but also boasts some of the best areas of wildflower down land.