Portsmouth & Isle of Wight Tour
No Mans Land Fort
IOW South Coast
The Needles
Cowes
Osborne House
The Spinnaker
Portsmouth Harbour
Chiddingfold
You take off towards the west passing just to the southern edge of Dorking. Flying over the lush woodlands you then turn south through a beautiful valley. You are now heading over Dunsfold airfield where the BBC program Top Gear is filmed. Continuing south, just before the South Downs, you over fly the market town of Midhurst with the ruins of Cowdray House set within the stunning "Capability" Brown landscaped Cowdray Park.
As you fly over the South Downs you will see The Isle of Wight in the distance. You are now over Hayling Island, heading towards No Mans Land Fort, this has been recently converted in to a fabulous house with it's own helipads. You then arrive over Ryde on the Isle of Wight and proceed to cross the centre of the island towards the cliffs on the south coast. Following the shoreline you continue westwards towards the famous Needles. You swoop low over the water to get an unsurpassed view of these jagged rocks and the lighthouse.
Turning back towards the east you follow the northern shoreline to Cowes, the sailing centre and capital of the island. Many yachts adorn its harbour, you may even be able to see some of the exciting racing events that happen all through the year. Just to the east of Cowes is the imposing Osborne House. Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert bought Osborne House in October 1845. Prince Albert designed the house himself in conjunction with builder Thomas Cubitt the London architect and builder whose company also built the main facade of Buckingham Palice.
You now cross the sea to Portsmouth, home of the British Royal Navy. As well as a fantastic view of The Spinnaker Tower, you will also see the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. You may also see some of the visiting ships in the Naval Dockyard that come in from time to time for a refit or naval celabrations. Now back over the open countryside you head north east over flying small villages and market towns such as Chiddingfold. In the distance is the North Downs and Surrey, this epic trip is soon to end but will be one experience that you will always remember.
