Welcome to our beautiful pair of towns, or, if you’re still thinking about coming to see us, get a move on! What’s stopping you? (West) Cowes and East Cowes are two lovely towns at the mouth of the River Medina on the Isle of Wight, the garden isle.

There have been people living here for hundreds of years and the towns were named after two sandbanks in the entrance that apparently looked like cows! The town on the West side of the river has been named Cowes, West Cowes and is now back to just Cowes again. Major confusion! To help with things on this site we call the Western town (West) Cowes so that you don’t muddle them up and end up on the wrong side of the river.

We are two totally separate towns divided by the river but we have an awful lot in common and many people travel back and forth each day for work, school and leisure so the natural rivalry is quite friendly. We are linked by one of the few chain ferries in the country and traveling on it is an experience in itself as it clanks and rattles its way across the Medina. We lovingly call the ferry, the Floating Bridge and you’ll get used to hearing people refer to it as that.

Cowes is famous for it sailing and is known as the home of yachting. Throughout each year there are numerous sailing regattas with the most famous being Cowes Week when there are thousands of people and hundreds of boats in the towns. There’s also the Fastnet race and many others including powerboat races. It doesn’t matter if you’re not into sailing as there are many places where you can watch what is going on on the water and it’s lovely to walk through the marinas and admire the boats, especially when the classics are in town.

If you’re not into sailing then don’t panic as there is so much more to see and do. Cowes is full of pretty shops, restaurants for every taste, friendly pubs and museums. In fact there are so many things to see and do you shouldn’t need to leave the towns at all! One of my favourite activities is simply to walk from the Royal Yacht Squadron, through (West) Cowes High street, take a trip on the floating bridge and wander up through East Cowes taking in the sights, the sounds, the smells and the ambience as well as stopping for a well earned drink and something to eat along the way.

Cowes is also home to many big businesses in the maritime sector as well as technology companies. In East Cowes you can see the mighty Columbine building with its enormous Union flag and in (West) Cowes you can still see the giant hammerhead crane which used to help shipbuilding companies construct their craft. If you want to know more about the history of Cowes and its maritime heritage then head along to the Boat museum or the Maritime Museum. You can even learn about the famous sailor, Sir Max Aitken or pop in to East Cowes Heritage Centre.

I think we’ve got something for everyone here so if you fancy a day trip over on the Red Jet or you’re planning on staying longer in one of our many hotels or B&Bs then we look forward to seeing you here and we hope you’ll realise why we say, I love Cowes!