Isle of Wight holiday?

[BA to the Stars]

For the family aspect i.e. children building sandcastles, then the east coast resorts such as Sandown are what you would probably want.

It is a very family orientated island in terms of holiday things and should be enough to do for a week or so. A nice place to go, I think it is trapped in a time warp (still in the 1950's) in the nicest possible sense.

With the island being quite small (something like 22 miles x 12 miles), you could base yourself virtually anywhere om the island and be able to get anywhere else on the island within an hour.

HTH

[Lockhouse]

Colloquially known in Winchester as "The Pile" for "Pile of Sh1Te".

If you must....Blackgang Chine, Osborne House, The Needles, Sandown to Shanklin clifftop walk.....errr....that's about it.

[richard-af]

A fortnight's holiday in a TB clinic would be more fun.

[wobbegong]

BA to the Stars is right, for a "sandcastles and candyfloss for the kids and a country pub for Mum & Dad" type holiday, it's fine, and he's right, it is a nice, laid back kind of place.

Get down the rickety walkway onto Whale Chine, you'll probably have a mile or so of beach to yourself.

Great for fossil hunting, if you or the kids are into that.

Like any UK holiday though, the weather makes or breaks it.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Every summer we shall rent a cottage on the Isle of Wight
If its not to Dear
We shall scrimp and save
And if you say the Word
I could stay with you

You-ll be - you'll be older too
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera - Chuck - and Dave

[richard-af]

Every summer we shall rent a cottage on the Isle of Wight
If its not to Dear
We shall scrimp and save
And if you say the Word
I could stay with you

You-ll be - you'll be older too
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera - Chuck - and Dave

And watch out for the crabalocker fishwives & pornographic priestesses.

[SandyDown]

Just remembered, there is a really really good resturant in Sandown high street, its called La Scala.. if you decide to go, you need to book before hand.

[wobbegong]

The Fishermans Cottage quite literally on the beach at the foot of Shanklin Chine, is good for a spot of lunch and a pint, or even a couple of pints while the kids play on the beach.

[Burdock]

get the cable car down to the beach at the Needles, and look at the lovely coloured sand...ahhh. And then back at the top, you can fill your own glass bottles with your own sand...ahhh again.

The whole place is fine for kids, you wont go wrong.

[richard-af]

It's got its own prison, too.

Saw this review:

" ... There seemed to be a somewhat vacant expression to many of them [the indigenous IoW folk] and a persistent unhelpfulness and circuitousness to any replies to basic questions. Perhaps this is the result of too many centuries of inbreeding???"
http://travel.ciao.co.uk/Isle_of_Wig...__Review_42036

But most visitors seem to like it. But maybe they live in Toxteth.