Cowes, Isle Of Wight, England

Just off England’s Hampshire Coast, the Isle of Wight has been welcoming holiday makers to its miles of beaches and pastoral landscapes since the mid-19^th century. The bustling port of Cowes is the island’s yachting center, famous for its annual regatta. Queen Victoria summered, and later died, here at Osborne House, her lemony Italianate palazzo, and Victorian style endures, especially in south coast resort towns and seaside promenades. The west coast is less developed, extending out to the landmark chalk stacks called the Needles.