It was a very early start, leaving Brighton at dawn for Portsmouth (Southsea) on 28th December. The 1015am hovercraft on the only service still running in UK we believe Hovertravel. 2015 marked their 50th season – their triumph is being able to land right on the beach as the craft can travel in low tides and high.

Around 90 passengers can travel on this hovercraft. Not so many accompanying us – quite the reverse from Ryde to Portsmouth as there was a special offer on and they’d had to put an extra trip on due to so many bookings (islanders wanting to get to the January sales I expect …)

Arriving a mere 10 minutes later, we were blessed with an unseasonably mild and fabulously dry and sunny day. I think the look on Barry’s smiley face says it all – he loved it!

Hover travel crew take photos of embarking passengers – we didn’t grasp that opportunity sadly. I’d bought a hover-rover ticket, which included all day bus travel. The bus station was adjacent to the hovercraft terminal – so simple!

No surprise, Barry chose the castle and stately home tour. Carisbrooke Castle first. We walked all around the castle walls and moat …

… and I’m pretty certain Barry pinched this shot from a board, unless he’s got a secret drone …

… it was the only way to see what’s behind the walls as unfortunately English Heritage chose not to open this attraction on Bank Holiday Monday

Barry did his utmost to capture the spirit of the spectacular buildings

A sneaky shot of me and the quaint village we walked to for the next stage of our whistle stop tour (I think it was Carisbrooke unsurprisingly)

Maybe this is where the name originated? Probably not, but we did love this ‘road’ that villagers seem to have to traverse by car depending on their location

Next stop Osborne House. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s ‘summer house’. She apparently said it was “…impossible to imagine a prettier spot”. It’s breathtakingly beautiful whilst sickeningly ostentatious and opulent

The house and grounds were open until 4pm, though unfortunately by the time we’d got there by two buses from Carisbrooke Castle, we had just two and a half hours to walk the grounds and have a tour of the house. The winter tours are much shorter than summer, with a corresponding price structure which we were disappointed by.

Magnificent! Only one family ever lived here, and even then only for short periods of time. Quite outrageous really.

Attempting my regal look after our tour of some of the downstairs rooms

In the distance you see the beach where the royal family would disembark after their journey from Portsmouth, then travel up the gardens in their carriage. The views across the Solent reminded Prince Albert of the Bay of Naples

The halls are amass with works of art, many of which held special meanings to the royals (though unfortunately I can’t recall what this one that Barry chose was!)

The family dining room – all set out for christmas – Victoria and Albert had nine children so one required rather a lot of room …

The drawing room where the royals and their guests would retire too after a meal. As Victoria was queen, the men didn’t withdraw to a separate place, the room is L shaped and they had a snooker table around the corner!

Queen Victoria had a deep and enduring love for India, the ‘Durbar Room’. She was then the ‘Empress of India’. This incredible room has ornate carvings on every inch of its walls and ceilings and an abundance of gifts in cabinets

There was even a Royal Mail post box – I doubt that was there in the late nineteenth century!