Time For The Beach Isle of Wight beaches are recognised as being some of the best in Europe. With 57 miles of varied coastline the Island yields a fantastic array of beaches. With miles of award winning sand and shingle beaches, rugged cliffs, hidden coves and clear waters, a trip to the beach is an essential part of any visit to the Island. One of the advantages of being surrounded by water is that wherever you are the beach is never too far away. As one of the UK’s best known seaside resorts the Isle of Wight effortlessly
delivers the traditional beach holiday experience of deck chairs, sandcastles and seafront amusements. The award-winning beaches of Shanklin, Sandown and Ventnor all have very popular esplanades with a great selection of cafes, shops and facilities to enhance your “day at the beach”. Ryde and Appley offer the largest stretch of open sands, perfect for games and activities, with great views back across the Solent to the mainland. Whilst a beach holiday is often associated with good weather, the Isle of Wight benefits from all year.
During the 19th Century many new sweets were invented including some of today’s much-loved favourites such as candy floss, liquorice allsorts, jelly babies, wine gums and marshmallows. Now you can get hands on behind the scenes at their sweet making demonstrations, which are run daily throughout the summer season. They make hard boiled sweets in every imaginable flavour, from rhubarb and custard to our very own special Wight Mints. An irresistible selection of sweets is available to purchase from
the adjoining shop with something to suit everyone’s taste and budget. The Victorian era is famous for being a time when science and technology really took off and with this came lots of new sweets. In recent years, Victorian sweets have gained popularity, from the traditional flavours and packaging to the old Victorian style sweet shop. It seems that consumers are currently enjoying a touch of nos-
talgia when they buy their favourite treats and you can now browse a vast array of traditional sweets in our Isle of Wight Sweet Shop. Made from raw natural ingredients on site, we have a wide variety of flavours to choose from, including favs like Rhubarb & Custard and Banana Splits.
THE NEEDLES The Needles are huge stacks of rock which lie off the western point of the Isle of Wight. These stacks originally made up part of the cliffs but, over time, coastal erosion has separated them from the headland.
They were formed from chalk and flint and rise to about 30 metres above sea level. The Needles are best viewed from Alum Bay, known for its coloured sands. The name ‘Needles’ comes from the two steep pinnacles of chalk, the largest o f
which, was called Lot’s Wife, rising to 120 feet high. The Needles experienced a spectacular collapse in 1764 and the rocks fell away into the sea. The Needles offers a range of attractions for all ages including chairlifts, sand filling shop and a nice boat trip to the Needles.
Ryde’s pier is the second-longest seaside pier in the country. Only Southend’s is longer. The original wooden structure at Ryde opened in 1814. At 1,740 feet, it allowed ferries to berth even at low tide, when the sea retreats half-a-mile from the shore. It was extended in 1824, and reached its present length of nearly 1/2 mile by 1842. Ryde Pier is really three piers in one. A second, parallel pier was built in 1864 to support a horse-drawn tramway that ran through the pier .
This r a n from the pier head as far as the pier gates and then through the town to provide a connection for steamer passengers with Ryde’s original rail terminus at St John’s Road, a mile to the south. Today the electric train service to Shanklin, using London Underground trains built in the 1930s, uses this line. From the pier head, passengers cross The Solent on Wightlink’s catamaran ferries to Portsmouth. The horse tramway was cut back to its pier section.
With a wide range of thrilling rides, nostalgic games and awe-inspiring adventures on site, there is something for all the family – old and young, brave and cautious. From walking on water to adventure golf, our rides and games ensure you’ll have a fun-filled visit. If you think that you have what it takes to stand up in a giant inflatable ball on water, then have a go on our ‘Water Walkerz’ – one of our most popular rides. Give your kids the chance to practice their driving skills in their very own vintage car ride!
FOR THE KIDS
Walk down an Isle of Wight high street at night and hear music spilling out of the pubs and bars. Local musicians perform at various locations across the Island every night and span a huge range of genres, from dulcet folk to heavy metal. A music event is the perfect place to meet with friends and enjoy a drink. With s o
many high quality restaurants, eating out is one of the most popular things to do on the Isle of Wight. Enjoy a slap up meal at a traditional pub, or book a romantic table for two at a fine dining restaurant. Look out over the sea and watch the boat lights blink in the night, or make your way to the centre of town and feel the buzz of the town. If you fancy getting involved in some local entertainment, visit one of the venues which host
which host open mic nights. Some pubs and theatres also host comedy nights so you can test out your best jokes. The Isle of Wight is also making a name for itself as the carnival capital of the UK. The Island hosts some of the oldest carnivals around, including one that began in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Thousands of people turn out to see the carnivals and the illuminated carnivals at night are the most popular.
The beaches at Sandown and Shanklin are sandy and clean and have parking nearby, which is ideal for endless trips back to the car to collect things for young children. They aren’t the place for private marriage
proposals or badly performed acoustic love songs because they are overlooked by a row of hotels and guest houses. Besides the putting green, Sandham Gardens on Culver Parade is also home to one
of our favourite Isle of Wight playgrounds. There is a good sized toddler section, as well as a climbing frame for older children and an outdoor gym for dads to show off their muscles. It is also alongside a hard
surface football/ basketball court and a skate park. Isle of Wight Zoo has turned into a good quality attraction. It costs about £10 to get in and specialises in lions and tigers. At certain times there are also out-
door adventure type things at the Zoo, run by Isle of Wight Adventure Activities. For a few pounds you can try out the climbing wall or some circus skills. The Natural History Museum recently declared that
the Isle of Wight was the dinosaur capital of the UK. Local rivalries aside, Dinosaur Isle at the Yaverland end of Sandown is the UK’s first purpose built dinosaur museum. it isn’t expensive, about £5.