Mini Guide to the Isle of WightThe Isle of Wight, with more sunshine hours than any other UK resort, is popular all year round for a stress free, fun family holiday. There is a range of holiday parks and hotels waiting to welcome families, many with baby listening and child minding facilties. Where ever you stay the whole island is within easy reach only being 23 miles wide. If you want to leave the car at home there is an excellent public transport system that will take you and your family wherever you want to go. No matter what the weather, there is always something to do with family attractions open all year round from historic castles to the Seaview Wildlife Encounter. Over half of the Isle of Wight is designated as an Area of Outstanding Beauty with a network of over 500 footpaths. Unusually the areas are spread across the whole island and so represent the variety of landscapes found there, from high chalk downs to lush green pastures. What to doRobin Hill Country Adventure Park Set in 88 acres of woodland, Robin Hill has something for everyone to enjoy from the three largest rides on the island to the red squirrel safari. The park offers activities and attractions for all ages with space to let off steam. Carisbrook Castle This fascinating medieval castle where King Charles 1 was held prisoner is waiting to be explored. Don't miss the Carisbrook donkeys demonstrating how water was raised from the well in medieval times and meet them afterwards in the donkey centre. Blackgang Chine Overlooking the spectacular South West 'Heritage Coast' of the Isle of Wight, Blackgang Chine offers mixture of exciting rides, cowboys and Indians, nursery rhyme characters and dinosaurs all set within rambling Victorian gardens and designed to appeal to the child in us all. 
Seaview Wildlife Encounter With a daily programme of entertaining events, there's always an opportunity to interact with the rare birds and animals that the park is home to. Roaming around the park you could discover anything from penguins to wallabies. Butterfly and Fountain World With butterflies, koi carp, goldfish and jumping jets of water there's plenty available to keep you and your family amused at Butterfly and Fountain World. 'Small World' has been created specially for children with a band of animated clowns and pirate scenes. Falconry Centre Come and watch the eagles and other birds of prey as they soar above the grounds of Appuldurcombe House in dramatic displays. For those few rainy days visit the indoor flight hall for a show combining film and flight. Dinosaur Isle Shaped like a pterodactyl, Dinosaur Isle offers the chance to meet life size models of the five dinosaurs found on the Isle of Wight in the form of fossils, life sized re-constructions and an animatronics dinosaur. There is a working laboratory on view where you can witness the preparation of the latest finds. Godshill Model Village See the villages of Godshill and Shanklin as they used to be, at a tenth of the size. Hidden behind a high stone wall, the garden is home to 2 churches, 4 pubs, an airfield, a railway, 3 hot air balloons, an airship, over 2,500 shaped conifers and shrubs plus countless little islanders going about their daily lives. Family fun on the Isle of Wight How to get there
By car: From the west take the M27 to get to Southampton, Lymington and Portsmouth. From the north take the A34 which joins the M3 at Winchester and turns on to the M27 just outside Southampton, go west to get to Lymington and east for Portmouth. From the east take the M27 or A27. By train: There are regular trains daily to Southampton, Lymington and Portsmouth. To get to Cowes using Red Funnel Ferries take the train to Southampton Central then the bus from the station to Hythe Ferry Terminal (fast cat service available). To get to Yarmouth using Wightlink Ferries take the train to Brockenhurst then the bus to Lymington Pier. To get to Ryde or Fishbourne using Wightlink Ferries take the train to Portsmouth Harbour. To get to Ryde by Hovercraft take the train to Southsea Hoverport. By air:Only private planes can fly on to the two small airfields in the Isle of Wight, however there are regular national and international flights to Southampton and Bournemouth airports. 1|2 Where to next? |
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When
the sun is out the Isle of Wight is famous for its beaches - thirteen
of which have seaside rewards. In addition the golden sands of Shanklin,
Sandown and Ryde on the east coast all have the European Blue Flag Award
- the mark of safety and cleanliness. On the western coast you may even
be lucky enough to find a dinosaur fossil.
