We've just gotten back from our trip to the Isle of Wight and now that I'm over the holiday blues I'm ready to write about our favorite things we did in West Wight, how much they cost and what memberships to get before you visit the island... (and the places that weren't worth the time or money for us!)
But first thing's first, how to get there. We had a wonderful experience using Wight Link Ferry. It was £81 each way for 4 passengers and our car (this was in mid March). We had a bit of a disaster before boarding (a flat tire an hour away from the ferry was NOT ideal!) so I'm really glad that I booked amendable tickets, even if it meant paying a little more. The crossing took less than an hour and was great for the kids with inside seating, tables and a small deli bar. There was also an outdoor area that the kids loved on our dry crossing back! I thought this was really reasonable considering it meant we didn't have to pay for transport during our stay. Without our car it would have been very difficult for us to fully enjoy our time, trying to juggle 2 young children and the countless bags, snacks, drinks, wetsuits, buckets, spades and kitchen sink that comes with them so if this is an option for you, take it! There was however great public transport with a bus route running to lots of major attractions around West Wight.
The Needles Old Battery- The first place we visited was The Needles Old Battery. (We actually ended up going THREE times. The first we didn't check the weather and it was closed due to high winds *face palm*, the second Lauchlan had an accident within 10 minutes of being there and had to go to to A&E on the opposite side of the island, but we were so impressed with what we saw in those first 10 minutes we knew it would be worth the trip back! The third we had the most wonderful day. There is a roughly 1 mile walk from the car park in Alum Bay to the Old Battery itself but it is well paved, suitable for pushchairs and absolutely beautiful with a view across the whole bay and down the cliffs. Once you get inside the battery there are lots of interesting rooms with child friendly history with plenty of interactive exhibits (my 2 particularly enjoyed the old phone which plays war time music!). There's an intimate tearoom with binoculars along the top where you can look out to sea whilst enjoying a cream tea and warm up before your walk back along the cliff path. When you get back to the car park I highly recommend stopping by the Sweet Shop. We were very lucky to be allowed in to watch the sweets being made despite a demo not being run at the time (we even sampled the sweets which were still warm!). As we went off peak these were the only things open but I really think it's worth doing!
Prices:
Adult £7.50
Child £3.75
National Trust Membership £146.40 per year (2 adults + children or grandchildren)
We got a national trust membership. It's valid at all National Trust sites as well as giving free parking at all National Trust car parks for a full year. For us it would have cost £22.50 just for the Needles and the amount of car parks we used I think we got our moneys worth just on the trip!
Carisbrooke Castle- This was possibly our favorite place we visited on our trip to West Wight. The castle was very large with so much to explore for all different ages. There were old suits of armor and helmets to dress up in, video presentations and a live demonstrations from the donkey on how the old water wheel worked which was really interesting. There was a large grassy area which would be perfect for picnics in the summer as well as lots of indoor and outdoor seating around the café (again, we had a cream tea and cakes which were delicious!). Lots of open areas for children to burn off energy when they get restless of the history but we easily spent a full day here and regret that we didn't get the chance to go back again.
Prices:
Adult Off-peak £11.30 Standard £14 Peak £16
Child Off-peak £7.50 Standard £8.50 Peak £9.50
Under 5's Free
English Heritage Membership £120 per year (2 adults + 12 children). You can sign up for a membership HERE
Again we decided to go for an English Heritage membership which gives. We have lots of English Heritage locations near us and after a year we also get access to Scottish and Welsh heritage as well. We also thought it would be great for taking the kids friends along with us on days out in the future. Without the membership it would have cost £36.50
Osborne House- This was somewhere quite a few people recommended and unfortunately for us was a bit of a disappointment. The house was very strict which is completely understandable considering the age and significance of the pieces inside, but it made it difficult to keep the children in check with one hand carrying a backpack. Inside the house was also very busy which was surprising since it was off peak when we went! There wasn't much information and I would say it's not suitable for children under 8 (unless they have a real passion for historical art and fine silverware). However once we got outside this made up for the house. The grounds were absolutely stunning, loads of places to run around and explore, flower and vegetable gardens to see and some of the best climbing trees we've found! Each tree had when it was planted and who by which was really interesting for the kids. We spent a long time down on the beach, finding shells, skipping stones and just enjoying the calm (and an ice cream!). Off peak the swiss cottage was also closed which was a shame as I was very excited to tell the children about it. There are 2 playparks, one before you go in and one by the swiss cottage, both were fun but more aimed towards 5+ than younger children, Lauchlan couldn't join in in the first one (age 2).
Prices:
Adult: Off-Peak £18.10 Standard £20.90 Peak £23.60
Child; Off-Peak £11.30 Standard £12.70 Peak £14..50
Under 5's Free
Osborne house is also an English Heritage site so our entry was FREE as we had already paid for our membership at Carisbrooke Castle. If we hadn't it would have cost us £54.50 and I would have been really put out! We were lucky that the weather was amazing the day we went so we got to full enjoy the grounds, beach and play parks, however a rainy day would have been very different. Unless you have an English Heritage membership I would suggest giving Osborne House a miss with young children.
Fort Victoria- We didn't spend a huge amount of time here, stopping by twice at the end of the day for a little walk along the seafront. All of the shops/attractions were closed when we went but it was fun to see the cannons and walk along the top of the fort.
Price:
Free (to walk along the fort and seafront)
West Wight Alpacas- Long story short, unless you're doing one of the animal experiences, I don't recommend going. We DID have a good time whilst we were there BUT mostly because we were incredibly lucky to see one of the goats give birth to a healthy boy. The animals were all in pens, many of which you couldn't get close to and there was little to see or do other than feeding (which was an additional £1.50 per cup). The walking experiences did look fun and had the children been a little older I think we would have done that as farm entry was included in the price of the walk. The website makes it seem like there's much more to see and do than there actually is. We would have only spent 30-60 minutes here if we hadn't been waiting for the birth so it's not a full day out.
Prices:
Adult £10.50
Child £8.50
Under 3's Free
These prices are very much geared towards making you pay the extra for the walking experience and knowing what I do now, I'd definitely suggest only going if you're doing one of the experiences. We paid £37 including 4 cups of feed for the goats. For such a short time we felt a little cheated!
Sandown Pier- What would a seaside holiday be without a trip to the pier... right? The kids did have a fabulous time playing the old and new arcade games (when was the last time you played a 2p machine?). The weather was incredibly windy so it WAS nice to be inside however inside wasn't the nicest place to be. One review said that the staff seemed to hate children and... well... this came across from a few of them! The mini gold has seen better days but the kids did still enjoy it and for less than £10 for 3 players I can't complain. Was it fun in a nostalgic kind of way? Yes. Could we have done the same at our local bowling place? Yes.
Prices: ?
It's difficult to nail down how much it cost. Entry onto the pier and amusements was free but it depends what games you play how much you spend. I'd say we spent less than £30 including the mini golf over the course of 2.5 hours. It's fun for a rainy day activity but don't make a trip up as there's so much more to do locally to West Wight.
Beaches- The rest of our trip revolved around the beaches that we went to and honestly if you decided to do nothing other than visit the beach every day it would be a holiday well spent. Compton Beach: This is where you can see the dinosaur footprints! It was so much fun walking along the beach and keeping an eye out for them. When the tide is out it's quite a sandy beach and right by the footprints is a wonderful set of tidal pools. We found seahorses, crabs, fish, oysters and lots of other treasures! It's just an overall perfect beach for every type of beach goer!
Brook Beach: This beach is attached to Compton Beach but was much quieter. The sand isn't quite as nice but it's a great area for fossil hunting and metal detecting!
Totland beach: This was a rocky beach. It was great for skimming stones when the water was ca enough and there's a nice walk along the promenade. There's also a Michelin Rated restaurant called The Hut (we had a once in a life time meal here!) and another delicious meal at The Waterfront at the opposite end. If you're looking for an easy evening stroll with a pushchair this is the one to do. (Be warned, the waves do come crashing in here in the winter so be prepared for some spray at high tide!)
A full list of beaches to visit can be found here the ones above are those that we visited and loved!
West Wight is in an AONB (area of natural beauty) so we didn't have to worry about sewage when visiting the beaches on this side of the island as the area is all protected which was a real plus. The same can't be said for other parts of the island (cough Sandown cough) so be aware of this in other areas of the island and be sure to check before you go!
We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation to the Isle of Wight and would recommend if to anyone who is wanting to reconnect with nature, history or just wants to spend some time at the UK coast whilst feeling like they're going abroad! Although it ended up being a more expensive trip than planned once we factored in the memberships, they're ones we will absolutely get out moneys worth with throughout the year so it was money well spent!
Have you been to the Island? What was your favorite memory of it? Let me know in the comments!
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