The 2027 AOUP trip will be a 5-day holiday (4 nights) in the Isle of Wight. We'll be based in Sandown, with excursions each day by coach to areas of interest. The short ferry trip (45 minutes) from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight takes us to a place where time seems not to have quite kept up with the modern world on the mainland. We'll visit the obvious attractions such as Osborne House, the home of Queen Victoria, the Needles and Alum Bay, and Carisbrooke Castle, where King Charles I was imprisoned. We'll also explore less well-known places, including Farringford House, the home of Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ventnor Botanic Gardens and the RNLI workshop.
Cost includes coach travel, ferry crossing, hotel (bed, breakfast and evening meal for four nights), two lunches and all admission charges. The cost varies with membership of English Heritage (EH) and Historic Houses (HH) as set out in the Table below.
| Membership | none | EH | HH | EH*HH |
| Sharing a room pp sea view | 663 | £630 | £648 | £615 |
| small single room, no sea view | 663 | 630 | 648 | 615 |
| Sole use of double room, partial sea view | 743 | 710 | 728 | 695 |
| Sole use of double room, sea view | 823 | 790 | 808 | 775 |
There are limited numbers of each type of room for single occupancy and if any one type is over-subscribed, a ballot will be made for the allocation.
If you're unsuccessful in the ballot, you will be offered an alternative.
Travel – as usual, we shall be travelling by Plastow’s coach (now owned and managed by Bakers). It will have an on-board toilet and air-conditioning.
Accommodation – we shall be staying at the Trouville Hotel in Sandown, for four nights dinner, bed and breakfast. This is a traditional seaside hotel, on the sea front, experienced in hosting coach parties (there are likely to be others there at the same time as we are). Three options will be available for each course of the evening meal and the service is both friendly and efficient. There is only one small lift, but our luggage will be taken to and from our rooms by hotel staff.
Accessibility – The Isle of Wight is hilly, and there will be quite a bit of walking.
For detailed information, you’re welcome to contact Gilliane Sills, gilliane.sills@eng.ox.ac.uk and 01865 721644.
