Varvassi
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On the Needles headland, this characterful former coastguard’s house has views of the sea, the sunset and the night sky.
Varvassi is one in a row of holiday cottages that once housed the area’s coastguards, on the headland a walk along from the Needles. Simple yet comfortable, Varvassi has views out to sea and a wood-burner for cosy evenings.
Take advantage of the cottage’s location and enjoy a wander to the Tennyson Monument, an impressive granite cross erected in 1897 at the highest point on the down. You're at the end of the Tennyson Down trail, a figure-of-eight walk with splendid views. Or you could cruise along the coastal road for one of the island’s best surfing beaches and fossil haven, Compton Bay. Colwell Bay has a sandy beach and fresh seafood, Freshwater is just a short drive away and you can reach Yarmouth in ten minutes.
A short drive away is the National Trust’s Mottistone Manor and gardens. Explore this pretty country house with its beautiful herbaceous borders and cosy tea room.
Larger groups can book Varvassi along with neighbouring cottages Irex, sleeping 5 guests, and Pomone, sleeping 4 guests.
Ground floor layout
Kitchen/dining room, sitting room with wood burner, three bedrooms (1 double with 5' bed and 1 twin and 1 single) and bathroom with electric shower over bath.
- Wi-Fi, not available
- Garden, available
- EV charging, not available
- Fridge, available
- Freezer, available
- Microwave, available
- Open fire / wood burner, available
- Television, available
- DVD, available
- Washing machine, available
- Dishwasher, available
- Tumble dryer, available
- Cot & high chair, available
Find information in the Accessibility Guide. Accessibility questions? Email holiday.enquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk or call us on 0344 800 2070.
Heating: Night storage heating included.
Parking: There is a parking area adjacent to the row of cottages.
Garden: There is a shared grassed area to the front of the cottages.
Children should be supervised as the garden is not enclosed and the cottages are within 5 minutes walk from the cliffs edge.
Utilities: Water is regularly pumped uphill to a holding tank at these cottages. There are also individual tanks above each cottage. If there is very high usage all at once this can drain the tanks and you will need to wait for them to refill before water is again available. It is therefore best to spread baths out over the day.
Washing machine and tumble dryer is provided in a a shared utility area.
Logs/charcoal: Additional logs can be purchased in advance through the contact centre. Logs are £10 per bag (to last one to two nights) or £40 for unlimited access to the log store (for a maximum of a 10 night stay).
Offers: Guests will have free access (during opening hours) to all Isle of Wight National Trust properties. Please take your holiday confirmation invoice as proof of eligibility to gain entry.
Please note: These cottages are in a very exposed position. In periods of high winds car doors may slam and debris may be blown around, for this reason the picnic benches have had to be removed.
Ferries: We recommend that if you are travelling to the Isle of Wight, you should book the ferries early due to the high demand for popular crossing times at busy times of the year including holiday periods. There are currently three options available depending on your preferred route:
1) Wightlink Ferries - www.wightlink.co.uk - National Trust Holidays guests receive a 25% discount with Wightlink ferries between Lymington and Yarmouth, Portsmouth and Fishbourne and the catamaran between Portsmouth and Ryde (foot passenger service only). The discount is applied once you have selected the crossing times in Wightlink's booking system.
2) Red Funnel Ferries - www.redfunnel.co.uk - National Trust Holidays guests receive a 25% discount between Southampton and East Cowes in Red Funnel's booking system. The terms and conditions applicable to bookings made through this special arrangement via National Trust (Isle of Wight) are those relating to “Saver Fares”. By booking with Red Funnel, you are agreeing to be bound by their terms and conditions, as available on the Red Funnel website.
3) Hovertravel - www.hovertravel.co.uk – foot passenger hovercraft service only from Portsmouth to Ryde.
Bike sheds: There are two bike sheds that are shared with Irex and Pomone. The smaller shed holds two bikes and the larger shed holds four.
Your top three questions answered
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Check-in is at 4pm, unless otherwise stated in your booking confirmation. Sorry, but we won't be ready for you to arrive or drop off your things any earlier. Check-out is at 10am. Enjoy a late check-out of 4pm on Sundays. Read the full FAQs to find out more.
The standard inventory includes most things you'd need to cook or bake, some cleaning supplies to get you started and bed linen and towels, unless otherwise stated on the webpage or your booking confirmation email. Read the full inventory to find out more.
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