Making the most of Cowes Isle of Wight
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Getting around
Use Traveline for all your transportation needs, local and long distance.
Outside London, normal cars and minibusses can usually be licensed as taxis - it is up to the local council how they are distinguished, but they always carry additional plates, usually at the rear, giving details of their approval by the relevant local authority and number of passengers they can carry.
Food and shopping
Shopping in the narrow pedestrianized High Street is a delight, with some excellent shops, many catering for the yachting fraternity. The town also has an array of fashionable clothing shops, gift shops, delicatessens, cafes, restaurants and lively pubs.
Money
The currency throughout the UK is the pound (£). You may also hear the slang term quid for pounds. Scottish bank notes are frowned upon in other parts of the UK, so change the notes before leaving Scotland.
Cash machines (ATM) or less formally 'holes in the wall' are very widely available and usually dispense £10 and £20 notes.
Visa, Mastercard and Maestro, are accepted by most shops and restaurants.
Staying connected
English is spoken throughout the country, but sometimes with heavy accents!
Most cafe's and restaurants offer free WiFi.
For free WiFi you can download the app FastConnect which lets you connect to thousands of The Cloud WiFi hotspots across the UK, located in popular places such as restaurants, cafés, bars, train stations and shopping centers. The local emergency telephone number is 999, however the EU-wide 112 can also be used.
Opening Hours and
Shopping hours are in general:
Small stores 6 or 7 days a week (10am - 6pm) Larger stores in general stay open til' 9PM Hypermarts often 24/7