3 facts that i bet you didnt know about our holiday destination this weekend:
- A new species of cat-like dinosaur, yet to be named, was discovered on the Isle of Wight in 1988. The 12ft long creature was equipped with murderous claws, razor sharp teeth and unusually long hind legs on which it ran like the wind.
- Sir Robert Holmes, a swashbuckling pirate and friend of Charles II, lived in the building which is now the George Hotel, Yarmouth. It was Holmes who introduced the Guinea into the British currency, when he brought back gold from New Guinea. Although he became Governor of the Isle of Wight, his piratical inclinations were still evident by the way he was determined to rid home waters of foreign ships, apparently regardless of the legitimacy or otherwise of their business. He waylaid a ship en route to France and discovered a statue, minus its head, which was destined for the court of King Louis XIV, where the sculptor was to complete the head from life. Commandeering the stature and sculptor, Holmes made him complete the head to his own likeness. The statue can be seen today in St. James Church, Yarmouth.
- Famous Victorian Samuel London, said then to be the biggest man in the world, died in 1844 and his tomb can be seen in the graveyard of the Church of the Holy Cross, Binstead.
I'm also (in an anoraky and embarrassing way) looking forward to spotting some Red Squirrels, which have been ousted form many mainland habitats by the larger more aggressive grey squirrel.
Am taking a book, my bikini, and all my camera lenses!
Guffaw.
