General Chat

Think again! Our road is like the M25 throughout the summer. Continuous traffic from holiday camp up the road (mostly massive four-wheel drive vehicles), tractors + trailers zooming up and down, coaches, lorries. Helicopters circling during Cowes week and all year from the TA camp nearby. This weekend the IW County show is on, and all the traffic is being diverted up our road just to add to the mayhem. When I dusted the other day, the dust was BLACK! I think the air must be cleaner in town than here. I would say to anyone thinking of coming over to the Isle of Wight - PLEASE don't! The place just cannot take any more traffic! Moan over!!!!!! Allie (who would like not to be on the Island any more!)

Oh Allie.....I have rellies on the Island........my Sis and BiL live near St. Ives Cornwall, and it takes her hours to get anywhere in the summer.......

I have the same trouble here in herts B******* chelsea tractors half of them dont need them

I know what you mean - I used to live in Minehead in Somerset, they have a Butlins there and it made the place a complete nightmare in the Summer. We lived in a really old Fisherman's Cottage (pokey little place it was) and the bottom of the windows were level with the pavement outside - during the summer all the holidaymaker kids would walk by and knock on the windows. The town is now not such a nice place to live, the sort of tourism that Butlins attracted has killed it. It is full of silly tourist souvenir shops and the like, it is absolutely heaving in the Summer and then dead as a dodo in the Winter. I also lived in North Devon for a while - real countryside. lol I hated it there, nothing but farms and private owned land - apart from Forestry Commission Woods. It was always dirty and smelly and whenever you drove anywhere you got stuck behind a Tractor. lol I now live in Poole in Dorset and have the best of both worlds - 5 - 10 mins from the Centre of Poole but backing onto wood and heathland :-) Kaye x

Some places may be heaving in the summer and dead in the winter but surely certain areas rely on that trade to keep them going. I live in a rural community that is steadily dying because it has no tourist trade and the village is dying. I would happily put up with the busy times if it helped the local community survive and maintain its identity without all the properties going to people with more money than sense.

It must be very quiet on summer weekends in some parts of London, judging by our local traffic.. All of the people seem to have migrated to their caravans sited in Dymchurch, a few miles along the coast from here. Gwyn

I have lived in Cleethorpes for the past 18 years and I think it has been great because there has been loads of attractions for the tourist so my kids have been able to join in while they were growing up. We have never had a car and dont drive so taking them out for a day would cause problems but its been nice to be able to walk along the sea front and they have joined in the activities going on along there. But now mine are gorwn up I feel sorry for the others with youngsters cos lots of the activities are being stopped. They used to have a big bonfire and fireworks on the beach in November but stopped that a couple of years ago because to many people were going to it. Then this year they have stopped the carnival That used to be one of the largest in europe with over 100 floats.. Those 2 events must have brought a lot of money into the area and will surely be missed by the locals and the tourists.

I dont hanker for country life,been to some beautifull places on holiday but dont enjoy the remotness of some places we have stayed,i like people around,or nearby

I've never been to the Isle of Wight so can't comment on it - but I'm from the Isle of Skye and sometimes there are so many tourists I'm surprised the poor island doesn't sink! However, it has now become the lifeline of the area. There is virtually no other work to be had unless in tourism and associated necessary services. If the tourist stops coming what will happen? Will it be like the village Errol lives in? There are some who exploit the tourist pound as much as possible without giving good service but happily they are in the minority - as are the number of people who abuse the countryside etc. I enjoy seeing the tourists looking around, seeing the scenery (I often take it for granted), seeing sometimes where their ancestors lived - yes, the roads are busy; yes the shops sell out of things but that can be overcome. In Dunvegan, the shops will keep bread and milk for their regular customers in summer.. In the winter bread and milk only come in Mon, Wed and Fri... They need the tourist

Oh don't say that Allie, as me and the old man are coming over to Nodes Point at the end of September, I fell in love with the Island when i was around 10 and on a school trip, have been in love with it ever since, and even more so since my sisters first grandchild was born in St Marys Newport on 23rd July while they were all on holiday. I was born and bred in South London where murders and muggings are so common place you don't even bat an eyelid, I left there 9 years ago for the relative calm of Kent and when my mum comes to stay she can't believe she never hears a police siren (she still lives in London) as they are a constant background noise there. Love Belle.

Just reading Belles account of the difference between London and Kent made me think about the difference of when I visit my mum who lives in Mablethorpe. It is very quiet where she lives and you never her a siren. Sometimes you hear the big bang for calling out the lifeboat but thankfully that isnt to often. We live near the main road in Cleethorpes and hear sirens all the time. I come from Rochester in Kent and wouldnt like to go back there as I remember it as all hussle and bustle if you know what I mean...lol

Hi all! Thanks for all your replies. Sorry not to get back as was watching a Tom Cruise film last night til late! Unfortunately it's not just the Summer which has become a nightmare on the island. There is just too much traffic - too many people moving here for what they think of as a 'better life' - not any way of making roads, designed for horse and carts, any better. I agree about the arrogant attitude of tractor drivers. They think they own the roads (in fact don't even pay road tax half of the time) and the state of most Island farms is a disgrace - call themselves 'guardians of the countryside' Gawd help us! There's nothing for intelligent young people here and once they leave to go to mainland Universities, they never come back (except for holidays!) There's no culture and if there was most people wouldn't be interested in it! I LOVE London, and feel at home there. Give me a paved street any time - theatres, opera, ballet, concerts. Allie

I lie in Norwich on a main road and all you can hear all year round is traffic and sirens. I would love to go back to living in the countryside again, just so I can have that peace and quiet during the autumn and winter!

I do think that the 'right' sort of Tourism is good for a place - unfortunately Minehead has become a victim of the wrong sort! It could have been promoted as the Gateway to Exmoor and would have attracted people who would have appreciated it's natural beauty, instead they built a Butlins and attracted a lot of unsavoury types - the town now has a problem with drugs. As for creating jobs for the locals - it didn't really do that, Butlins pay a pitance in wages and usually end up with staff from other parts of the country. Now you wouldn't really want to work there as it doesn't look good on your CV - I have even known people turn away potential tennants if they have/are working at Butlins. Kaye x

Allie, It could be worse, someone may decide to build one of those religious houses with a tall tower and huge loud speaker at the top to call the faithful, sorry meant congregation to prayer. We'd know when it was time to get the carpet out over in Gosport lol. Len

Sorry to be so slow getting back - broadband has gone on a go-slow (countryside connection?) Christine - I'm sorry to say that the Island HAS changed for the worst in 15 years! You would not believe how many houses are going up. The ferries are so much larger bringing over ten times the amount of cars as before. And the exorbitant cost of the crossing doesn't seem to put people off! Gillian - yes, the occasional 'fix' of a mainland trip is good, but most of the time this involves an overnight stay in a hotel. If you add the cost of the ferry it's something which can't be done too often. I don't think people who want to move here take this into consideration. Thanks everyone who has replied. Sometimes it's good to get these things off 'your chest'. I felt like screaming with all the noise outside when I was in the garden yesterday!!!!!!!!!! Allie

Problem is Tourisim is a big Industry now and and some places survive on it , and when you talk about traffic on a Friday here in Dorset you can sit for over two hours in a traffic jam where people are trying to get to either Bournemouth , Poole , Devon or Cornwall along the A31 after coming off the M27 , I work from Southampton sometimes and to get home to Poole on a friday might take anywhere up to three hours when it normally takes 45 minutes , the price we pay for living in a brill part of the country , oh yeah forgot to mention the New Forest :-)))))))))

I do sympathise, but here it's all year round! Just so much worse in the summer...... Allie x

Teresa, my dear you are so lucky if you are still alive in Norwich, lieing in the road!!!! lol I am currently in the outskirts of Norwich with a field at the end of the garden, but a busy road quite close, and the airport not too far so you can see the planes come down very low, ready to land, and taking off. My own house is close to the city centre in a street parallel to the main road to London, but with the trees and foliage around it can be very peaceful too. I would love to live somewhere near the countryside but within walking distance of a nice beach, best of both worlds really. Maybe we should set up a holiday swap site so we can exchange homes for holidays with other members in different kinds of places, Allie could swap with someone in London etc. But Teresa get out of the road!!

Did I mention the bonfires on sunny days ? Grrrrrrrrrrr............