Migrant ‘hostels’ could be set up on the Isle of Wight under ‘offshoring’ proposals

Asylum processing centres could be built on the Isle of Wight, the Shetlands or the Isle of Man, it emerged yesterday. The new ‘offshoring’ proposal – which might also see asylum hostels built on other remote Scottish islands – is part of Priti Patel’s over-arching programme to crackdown on the Channel migrant crisis. Under a … Read more

Husband reunited with wedding ring he lost in the sea off the Isle of Wight

Stunned husband, 54, is reunited with wedding ring he lost while ‘splashing about’ in the sea off the Isle of Wight after it was found by an 11-year-old girl in ‘one in a million’ discovery Matt Eastley, 54, lost his wedding ring in the sea on August 6 on the Isle of Wight He asked Toni … Read more

Great British boltholes: A review of Hillside Ventnor, Isle of Wight

Eye-popping sea views, a secret beach mere footsteps away and an uber-cool interior: Inside the Scandi-chic Isle of Wight lodge that’s shaking up the island’s hotel scene Hillside is located in the quirky resort of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight’s south coast with Scandi-chic decor  There are 12 rooms – eight of which have sea … Read more

The joys of a road trip in Scotland, taking in Mallaig, the Isle of Skye, Loch Duich and Ullapool

Clare, a retired painter, says: ‘Don’t get me wrong, girls, half the time I’m bored witless.’ We’ve met over a glass of wine (our first, her fifth) in Ullapool, an arty spot deep in the Scottish Highlands. ‘Then I look out of the window and remember I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.’ Clare’s hand … Read more

Boat passengers suffer injuries as world’s last paddle steamer crashes into Isle of Arran pier

Boat passengers were reportedly thrown into the sea after the world’s last ocean-going paddle steamer crashed into a pier on the Isle of Arran this afternoon. The Waverley paddle steamer crashed near the the ferry terminal in Brodick, Scotland, at around 5.15pm. A coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick has been sent to the scene, … Read more

400 people apply to live in four eco-homes on Isle of Rum twenty miles off Scotland’s west coast

An appeal for new residents on a remote Scottish island has attracted more than 400 applications from around the world – with Covid helping with the search. The Isle of Rum, Inner Hebrides, put out a call for tenants to join the population of around just 30 people after building four new two-bedroom eco homes.  … Read more

Scotland in miniature: Things to do in the Isle of Arran, from wildlife tours to whisky tasting

The Isle of Arran is affectionately known as ‘Scotland in miniature’. Which is not a bad promotional line — and an apposite one, given the variety of landscape from highland to lowland, all within a small space. You can fit Arran into Wales 48 times, and a leisurely drive around the island takes just under … Read more

NHS contact tracing app re-launches TODAY in trials on the Isle of Wight and in east London

The NHS Test and Trace smartphone app is being re-launched today with a second round of trials on the Isle of Wight and in the London borough of Newham. England’s beleaguered app, of which the first version had to be scrapped in June, has now been recreated using technology made by Google and Apple. Officials … Read more

Dinosaur bones found on the Isle of Wight belong to a new species of theropod

210-pound ammonite  Pictured, an ammonite which has been described as a ‘behemoth’ and as ‘truly titanic’  An enormous fossil weighing almost 210 pounds and measuring around two feet in diameter was found on the Isle of Wight in 2020. The ammonite was spotted and pried loose of surrounding rock by university students Jack Wonfor, 19, and Theo … Read more

Test and Trace DID work on the Isle of Wight, study finds

Test and Trace worked well on the Isle of Wight and the authority now has Covid-19 ‘really under control’, an Oxford University study has found. Researchers who followed the pilot contact tracing scheme on the island — off the coast of Hampshire — found it managed to cut the reproduction rate of the virus (R) … Read more