'''Yarmouth''' is an attractive little town at the western tip of the Isle of Wight, just offshore of the South East of England.

Everything in Yarmouth seems to be on a small scale; small narrow streets nestle against a small castle and harbour, and the ferry terminal is actually built against the castle walls.

Yarmouth is the chief town of 'West Wight', the western part of the Isle of Wight, and forms a very good base for exploring this part of the island.

Get in

From a mainland location, the best approach is to use the [http://www.wightlink.co.uk/travel/timetables/lym_yar/index.htm Wightlink car and passenger ferry] which runs every half-hour direct to Yarmouth. This ferry operates from Lymington on the mainland and has good rail and road connections (as described in the Lymington article). Note that taking a car on the ferry can be quite expensive; for short visits it may be better to park in the car park at Lymington Pier and board the ferry as a foot passenger.

Yarmouth is connected to the rest of the Isle of Wight by [http://www.islandbuses.info/ Southern Vectis] service 7. There is also an open top bus that runs from Yarmouth to Alum Bay and The Needles Battery, offering spectacular views.

Get around

The town of Yarmouth itself is easily walkable. For nearby areas of West Wight, the Island Explorer (services 7/7A/7B; see 'Get in' above) provides good service. [http://www.svoc.co.uk/ Southern Vectis] also operates open-top bus service 42 throughout the summer, which serves Freshwater Bay, Alum Bay and the Needles on a half-hourly basis.

See

  • '''Alum Bay''' is famous for the many different colours of sand which appear naturally on the beach. A traditional souvenir of the Isle of Wight is a picture or glass paperweight filled with the different colours - there are many stalls where you can get the wherewithal to make your own if you are so inclined. Accessible via either the normal 7 bus service or open-top bus service "The Needles Tour" (see 'Get around' above).
  • '''The Needles''', a very famous headland and offshore rocks at the extreme western end of the island. Here you will find early sea defences such as the [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&PROPERTYID=233 Needles Old Battery], now preserved by the National Trust, and Tennyson Down, the national memorial to Alfred Lord Tennyson, and the sight of spectacular sea and land views. Accessible via Southern Vectis's open-top bus service "The Needles Tour" (see 'Get around' above).
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