I’m coming to join you on the isle in two weeks and will be living (to begin with) in East Cowes.

I’ll be working from home some of the time, so will be needing broadband.

Not too worried about a phone line and have seen that there’s wireless – what’s that like?

Also been advised against Wightcable – what are the other options?

Cheers!

My sis (who lives way off grid on the IOW) uses sky. Somewhere urban like Cowes may well have better options.

I grew up on the IOW. Get out of E Cowes ASAP. Newport is where it’s at. Ventnor if you want something a bit more bohemian. Mother lives in Shanklin. She’s 90, and about mid-age-range for the town…

Ha! Thanks for the advice (on all counts). 😉

hey, just saw your post on iow mtb, as i said sky or bt 😉

I use vfast wireless and it’s 20x quicker than our old bt one.

I live in Cowes. I have my work providing broadband now, but previously I was on BT and it was fine. Think there’s a BT exchange thing in Cowes, so it’s pretty fast over here.

Of course in E Cowes you’ll have to wait for the chain ferry to bring the telegram over to the exchange first. Maybe use a carrier pigeon.

Of course in E Cowes you’ll have to wait for the chain ferry to bring the telegram over to the exchange first.

Hahaha, nothing changes then…

Of course in E Cowes you’ll have to wait for the chain ferry to bring the telegram over to the exchange first. Maybe use a carrier pigeon.

I was warned about East Cowes-ists. 😉

@nmdbase – whereabouts are you? And how much is it?

Of course in E Cowes you’ll have to wait for the chain ferry to bring the telegram over to the exchange first. Maybe use a carrier pigeon.

I was warned about East Cowes-ists.

Ach, it’s all part of the fun of living in a backwater. The parish council should dig into the coffers for billboards at the town boundaries with this on it:

was warned about East Cowes-ists

Indeed. However, my niece and her family lives in East Cowes and seem to like it. OK if you’re family orientated, bit dull otherwise.

StefMcDef – I remember the day Tesco opened. From the queues, you’d have thought they were giving gold bars away.

I’d love E Cowes parish to out up a sign like that – W Cowes has been up it’s own backside for about 300 years, yet apart from that one week, it’s dead. (I lived there 1985-1992)

The other half has family there and I’ve been there several times, so am not unaware of the – erm – rivalry.

I was amazed at how much contention Waitrose has caused. Is it really that big a deal?!

(we were originally buying next door to it)

Erm, not on the IOW 😳 sorry I didn’t read that properly.

Nah, don’t think it’s that bad, but then I’m a blow-in so I’m not sure how deep the historical rivalry runs. In my experience it’s just estate agents that talk it up.

East Cowes seems a bit more workaday, less of a resort town. Has fewer pubs, shops and yatch clubs than its regatta-throwing counterpart across the Medina. Although there’s always Osborne House, if you like sort of thing. Royal Cowes, innit?

All things considered I’d rather live in Cowes than E Cowes. If you haven’t actually bought anywhere permanent, other places that seem like a good pitch, from the outside looking in, are Bembridge and St Helen’s.

Bigyinn might be along in a minute to convince you Ryde is better. 😛

Well bizarrely we’re looking at Ryde should we stay and buy…