Yarmouth

Compact historic harbour town and western ferry port with Georgian character

A small, historic harbour town on the north-west coast of the island, and one of the main ferry arrival points, with Wightlink operating a vehicle ferry service to Lymington on the Hampshire coast. Yarmouth has a population of only around 900 but punches well above its weight in character. The town has a castle built by Henry VIII in 1547 as part of his coastal defences, a stone pier built in 1876, a harbour full of yachts and fishing boats, and a compact centre of Georgian and Victorian buildings. The town square and the streets around it have pubs, restaurants, a delicatessen and independent shops. Yarmouth is popular with yachtsmen and day-trippers arriving on the ferry from the New Forest side. The surrounding countryside is gentle and rural, with salt marshes, nature reserves and the Yar Estuary providing important habitats for wading birds. The town has a quiet dignity and a settled quality that make it one of the most attractive small towns on the south coast.