Yarmouth / Eremue

Yarmouth is a town, port, and civil parish in West Wight. It is linked to the mainland by the Wightlink Ferry Service between Yarmouth and Lymington, Hampshire. The small historical town on Yarmouth was Chatered in 1135. There is a small Castle, built in 1547 by King Henry VIII as a gun platform to strengthen the defenses of the Solent from the French. The Castle also guarded the harbour entrance. The population of this little, self-contained town in 2001 was 791. The town is so named because of it’s location at the mouth of the small Western Yar River (there is an Eastern Yar River too on the island). before the road bridge linking Yarmouth and Totland there was originally a ferry across the River Yar, this was replaced with a road bridge in 1863.

Yarmouth has been a settlement for thousands of years, the was first recorded settlement was of King Etheired the Unready who was about to pay his Danegeld Tax in 991. The original name of Yarmouth was Eremue, meaning ‘muddy estuary’. The layout of the town, which you can see today, was created by the Normans, on a grid system. The town grew and in 1135 was given it’s first Charter. Within the town, there is a 17th century parish church.

Today, Yarmouth is still a very easy town to drive around and to park: well it was when I was there today. They probable heard I was coming and stayed at home (ha, ha). In Yarmouth every year they hold the Old Gaffers Festival, which is several days of entertainment and shows. Yarmouth marina is also the landing point for the Royal Navy’s Solent Amphibious Challenge held in June (I missed that - shame as that would have been an interesting blipfoto opportunity).

I have my good friend Michael to thank for this afternoon’s journey to Yarmouth, as I was picking him up off the Lymington Ferry and then taking him to Totland for a cuppa, and as it turned out, some rather nice Jaffa Cakes. I returned him for the 1800 ferry back to mainland UK. I went off to take photographs before heading for a nice little deli to buy some garlic stuffed olives, a small round of IOW Blue Cheese and a pun-net of red cherries. Then with my wears I headed off for an evening meal at Quarr Abbey.