Location
Holmes House overlooks one of the most vibrant and interesting stretches of sea in the country. It peers out over to English Heritage’s Hurst Castle and its active lighthouse, and across the bay to Fort Albert. Hurst Castle and its lighthouse are just ¾ of a mile away at the narrowest point across the Solent, and the New Forest coastline is approximately 3 miles to the north.
The house proudly overlooks the often turquoise sandy and partly rocky, clear waters of the spectacular and picturesque Colwell Bay - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) - with direct access to the beach.
Holmes House on Colwell Bay, and indeed the West Wight, is a dream come true for sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, water skiing, paddleboarding, kayaking, fishing, equestrian, cycling, walking and dog walking enthusiasts.
Vicinity
It is a 5-minute walk down the all-weather beach path outside Holmes House front gates to The Hut beachside restaurant and bar and just metres from the stunning Colwell Bay that is situated directly below the property with ice cream shop, pub, and breakfast restaurant.
It is a further 10-minute walk along the scenic, wide, Colwell Bay promenade to Totland Bay and its restaurants and pier.
The sailing town of Yarmouth is a 5-minute drive from Holmes House. Wightlink operates the Yarmouth to Lymington Pier car and foot passenger ferry service with easy regular daily access to the mainland, with directly connecting rail service from Lymington Pier to London Waterloo and Southampton International Airport.
Yarmouth
Yarmouth is an ancient village, with the first written records dating back to 991AD, but there is evidence of both Roman and earlier activity in the area. Yarmouth appeared in the Domesday Book a century later. Yarmouth Castle (1547, an English Heritage site) was one of the last of Henry VIII’s thirty defensive fortresses co-ordinating England’s national defences, and in the day, featured a moat surrounding the Castle, within the village walls.
Steeped in history, Yarmouth has become a very affluent sea-side destination frequented by yachtsmen, walkers, and outdoor sports enthusiasts and plays host to a variety of restaurants, pubs, independent shops, a sailing club, a yacht club, a 5-star luxury hotel and St James’s Church, a historic and quaint church. Yarmouth is in a Conservation Area with highly restricted development, surrounded on 3 sides by water, wetlands and various National Trust and English Heritage sites.
Yarmouth Pier is the only completely wooden pier in England.
Yarmouth Harbour has extensive marina facilities and has doubled both the number of available berths and its parking facilities, in the past 5 years.