wight twixtmas: winter on the isle of wight, part 2

On day 2 of our quick hop to experience winter on the Isle of Wight, we woke up bright and early(ish) for breakfast at The Seaview Hotel before squeezing back in the car to explore a bit more. We spent the next few hours driving from little town to little town. We stopped only for snacks and photo opps as we saw fit.

Basically, it was the ideal vacation. But you’ve been warned: this is a pretty photo heavy post.

The weather was insanely gorgeous — crisp, cold, and with barely a cloud in the sky. Happy to be near the sea again, we wanted to take full advantage. We popped down to the beach near the hotel for a quick hello before setting off.

We drove south to Ventnor to explore a new town (and possibly get a cup of coffee), but of all the places around the island, this seemed to be the most quiet in the off season.

Our coffee mission failed, so we window shopped a bit instead. It was lovely soaking in the general adorableness of this very quaint and charming town.

We had time to kill before we made it to our lunch reservation. So, what to do in such a case? Take the scenic route!

Eventually, we made it to our lunch destination, The Garlic Farm. Founded 40 years ago, the farm is one of the first things I learned about the Isle of Wight. They had a stand at the Taste of London food fest in December, and it seems to be the pride of the island. As soon as we walked on-site, I could see why.

The family-run farm has been churning out garlic for decades, starting first as a small garden. Now, they operate an on-site restaurant and a cafe called the Allium. They also host tasting events, tours, and have a shop full of any and every garlic-related product you can imagine.

My only suggestion is that they could use an extremely handsome mascot. I know just the guy.

Though we opted for the laziest experience possible (sidling up with a garlic mezze platter in the cafe), we considered our options. The walks around the farmlands are highly recommended from… almost everyone. We semi-went on a search for the pigs! But muddy fields kept us from wanting to muck up our rental car too badly.

Plus, I was in a minor food coma after our amazing lunch. Surely, you understand.

Everything was delish, but personal favorites include the garlic mushrooms on the bottom right, and the giant bulb full of roasted garlic cloves, meant for smearing across flatbread.

Really, it was a good thing we BOTH dove into this. Otherwise, it would have been a difficult car ride for whoever wasn’t full of the stuff.

After a long and leisurely lunch, we hopped back in the car for another scenic stretch. This time, we were off to see the Needles. The drive there, like most of our day, proved to be just as stunning as the sight itself.

Obviously, the Needles weren’t too shabby either (though next time, I think, they need to be seen from the sea.)

Parker, as per always, showed no interest. So rude.

The rest of the night was spent at a local pub — the name of which is now escaping me, but it doesn’t really matter because it was the least exciting meal of the trip (though, to be fair, the other meals more than made up for it, so we weren’t too upset.)

The next morning, we awoke to another stunning day…

After a quick detour to one of the local vineyards, we decided to spend the afternoon across the Isle in Cowes, aka, my new obsession.

Naturally, as soon as we arrived, I chucked my camera in the trunk, tired of lugging it around. Bad blogger. Photos or not, it’s still very much worth visiting. Cowes has almost single-handedly earned the Isle of Wight its “Yachting Capital of the World” title. (Per whom, I am not sure). (Just like I’m not sure if that was the right time to use “whom”). Anyway, as such, it is preppy and perfect.

We shopped around a bit — new favorite store — before settling in for lunch at The Coast. We were seated up on the second floor in two cushy armchairs right next to a window. It was seriously hard to leave.

But alas, our very first Twixtmas was coming to a close. The Wightlink back to Portsmouth was calling, as was our cozy New Year’s for three in London.

Until next time, Isle of Wight! The pug will be ready.

xo!

the romantic

– Thank you again to the Isle of Wight for hosting us for a few days, and to The Garlic Farm for welcoming us (and the bug!) with open arms. All opinions are, as always, my own.