I have spent most of my life living on the Isle of Wight so I have had quite a few years experience of the pubs, some good and some I just can't remember! The main drinking towns on the island are Newport and Ryde. These are the towns to visit to have a good selection of pubs to choose from and suitable for the typical Friday and Saturday night 'bender'. The island also has a great choice of quiet country pubs.

Both Newport and Ryde offer a long line of pubs so in effect you can start drinking at one end of the high street and finish at the bottom! The only advice I will give though is if you go drinking in Ryde start at the top of the high street and work your way down as it is a very steep hill! These two streets are ideal for those drinkers wanting to go on a pub crawl! The end of the crawl in Ryde ends up at a night club called the Balcony and in Newport at the Chicago Rock Café. If you want to avoid the loud and rowdy drunks it may be worth while doing the crawl in reverse!

My favourite pubs on the island now are the quieter country pubs as I seem to be rapidly growing out of the busy pubs where you can't even have a conversation as it is so loud and you have to queue for twenty minutes just to get served at the bar! The Island has a great selection of country pubs which do great food and have family areas suitable for children.

My choice of pub tends to depend on the time of year. In the summer I love sitting out in beer gardens by the sea such as the Woodvale in Gurnard. I must admit I also like the warm atmosphere inside this pub so often frequent it in the winter also! The food and drinks are a bit pricey here so I am not a regular here!

Another of my favourite pubs is the Hare and Hounds in Arreton. This pub is right next to Robin Hill Country Park on the downs and has great views over the park from the outside seating area. During the winter this pub is very quiet and I wonder how they survive sometimes but the food here is great! There is also supposedly a ghost that haunts the pub, I haven't seen it drunk or sober!

Another pub quite dear to my heart is the Wight Mouse located in Chale on the South of the Island. I used to work here in my teenage years at weekends but since then it has been completely renovated under new management so it has lost some of its charm. It is a friendly family orientated pub with a great play area for the kids. Another bonus is this pub is only five minutes from Blackgang Chine theme park, great for the kids!

The cheapest pubs to eat and drink on the Island are Wetherspoons (Ryde) and Yates (Newport). These are well know chains across the country and are renowned for their cheap pints and meal deals. I recently ate in Wetherspoons with a friend, two meals and two drinks for under £10, bargain!

Like anywhere in the country there are many what I would call 'locals' pubs. These are the kind of bars you walk into and everyone goes quiet and stares at you! If you are of a paranoid disposition try and avoid these! These tend to be the run down looking pubs that are stuck in the 70's with their décor!

Overall I would say that the Isle of Wight has a great selection of pubs suitable for all tastes and lifestyles. Whether you want a night out on the town or a quiet Sunday roast the choice is there! You really are spoilt for choice!