With arguably the UK’s mildest climate, the Isle of Wight is the ideal place to find the earliest asparagus, taste the freshest cherry tomatoes and savour the unique flavour of English strawberries - without totting up hundreds of food miles. All of these can be sampled by taking the Wight Taste Trail, which is available free in booklet form or to view from the website of its creator, Wightlink, whose ferries sail to the Island from Portsmouth and Lymington (0871 376 1000/ wightlink.co.uk/wighttastetrail).

For an unusually tasty short break, there are 20 stops on the Wight Taste Trail - with a host of local delicacies to discover in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. These include the exotic salad leaves at Farmer Jack’s Arreton farm shop, wild bass from the waters around the yachties’ favourite, Bembridge, 11 different types of garlic grown on the world-renowned Garlic Farm or the Isle of Wight blue cheese that won Best English Cheese at the World Cheese Awards.

Stay in the heart of the Isle of Wight’s fertile countryside at Gotten Manor, one of the hideaway properties featured in Wightlink’s Green Getaways eco-friendly holiday programme. Buried in a sheltered hollow at the foot of St. Catherine’s Down in the Island’s south, with footpaths in all directions and a woodland copse hiding bats, badgers and buzzards, short break stays are on offer from 6th June for £105 per person (based on four sharing). Accommodation is in the two-bedroom Cart House, a self-catering cottage created from an old stone barn and the package includes return Wightlink car ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington

Alternatively, take a bed & breakfast break in one of the Isle of Wight’s most impressive stone manor houses, the 17th century Northcourt, another Green Getaways eco-property. Famous nationally for its 14 acres of exotic and unusual organic gardens, Northcourt has been nurtured personally over 24 years by owners Christine and John Harrison. A two night B&B break including return Wightlink car ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington costs from £100 per person.
ENDS

Issued on behalf of: By:
WIGHTLINK LTD Christine Ball PR
13th May 2008 Tel: 01798 874177