Isle of Wight-based Jane Richter founded ‘Isle of Wight Guided Tours’ over 10 years ago and together with her dedicated small team of local experts, has been running this successful little business ever since.
We have recently streamlined what we offer, now concentrating on the needs of discerning travellers looking for high-end customised tours of the Isle of Wight. We work with you from the outset to put together a premium tour package which will not only meet but exceed your expectations. Providing maximum personal service lies at the heart of everything we do.
You may be wanting to extend a cruise ship experience or you may be independent world travellers, organisers of corporate reward or team building adventures, Masters of London Livery Companies or other. Whoever you are, one desire our clients all share is that we supply them with an imaginative, personalised, exclusive Island tour package with added emphasis on luxury and comfort.
Other clients are introduced to us by travel agents, destination management companies (DMCs) and cruise ship shore excursion companies in the UK, Europe, US, Canada, Australia etc.
Some of our American clients in particular are directed to us as part of a ‘UK castle trail’, which includes Osborne House, favourite home of Queen Victoria and place of her death. Of course, Norman Carisbrooke Castle is also high on their ‘must see’ list.
1 – 5 day high-end bespoke cultural and historical tours, travelling in comfortable executive vehicles. Our tours are both highly informative and great fun.
We offer a complete Island experience centred around your interests and always with the addition of a large helping of local gastronomy at its best.
Come discover with us what makes our Island tick!
That said, there are always exceptions where people do have more time, e.g. we have hosted several researching writers of both fiction and non-fiction, experiencing Island culture first-hand at a more leisurely pace whilst writing in situ.
Often for clients such as those mentioned above, our making introductions to other Isle of Wight partners (in various fields) is very much what we do, be it in a social or more social setting. Meeting people may be just as important to you as seeing places. Here, happy client Elena Oderstone thanks local Island historian Kevin Shaw (right) and Colin Boswell and daughter Natasha Edwards, owners of our Isle of Wight Garlic Farm (below).
Whatever tour you choose, we will always aim to include in it our local ‘partners’ (Isle of Wight movers and shakers) wherever possible. Your interests might be general or specific, and especially if they are the latter, we always ensure that an Island specialist in your field is conducting at least part of your tour, be it work-related or themed around a particular special interest.
We introduce you to numerous historical Island characters, whether they were Island-born or only here for a shorter time. Either way, they always form a strong basis for our tours. This applies to our original signature ‘Round the Island Panorama’ day tour right through to our more recently created short breaks. From Charles Darwin to Queen Victoria, William the Conqueror to Jimi Hendrix, King Charles I to Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charles Dickens to Ben Ainslie or dinosaurs to Julia Margaret Cameron*, a wealth of characters who await you!
We offer to pick up our clients in a highly competitively priced executive class minibus or car. We work with the owner-driver on a regular basis and together, we pride ourselves on making a very good team.
Pick-up places can be in central London or at any of London’s airports as required. He can also do Southampton or Portsmouth city pick-ups (or Southampton airport) or from certain other places along the south coast.
Obviously, this is in addition to meeting you at any of the Isle of Wight ferry terminals on either side of the water.
We equally offer pick up from Island hotels and certain mainland hotels too.
You might care to dip into this documentary that I made a few years ago about Victorian pioneer portrait photographer Julia Margaret Cameron
Where you prefer to another hired vehicle of your choosing, we will of course also work with them.
Our executive minibus or car is happy to meet you off your private plane or helicopter at either Bembridge or Sandown airport (private Isle of Wight airports). Let your Isle of Wight experience continue with us!
Equally, if you are visiting the Island by helicopter, possibly dining at ‘The Hut’ (left) - why not engage our services to help you expand your high-flying Island adventure?
Our groups consist of up to 15 people* in the minibus. We tend to use it in preference to the car for groups of four people or more (for your extra comfort and at no additional expense). For one to three passengers, we normally use the car.
(*Sometimes we may be able to provide extra transport for groups of 15+)
Your Isle of Wight Experience naturally includes more than your tour programme and transport but also accommodation (where applicable). We would love to advise you on what we feel will suit you best, once we know a little more about you and your proposed tour. It goes without saying that we do the same with choice of restaurants etc., and we make suggestions of these on the relevant tabs on our Sample Tours page.
We now eagerly wait for you to contact us so we can craft your dream Isle of Wight package. Simply get in touch and tell us how we can help you, being sure to look at our ‘Sample Tours’ page before doing so.
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