THE Isle of Wight remains a popular holiday destination in 2026 but it has been visited by holidaymakers since the 1850s, among them Marx and Engels. Marx and Engels mostly took separate holidays but over the decades both could be found staying in Ryde. In late August 1857 Engels was in Waterloo, a north-west England seaside resort, for health reasons. By September 1857 Engels was staying in Ryde, Isle of Wight for some weeks while also visiting Portsmouth. There is a plaque where Marx stayed in Ventnor but otherwise the Isle of Wight as a summer holiday location for Marx and Engels has been mostly overlooked.