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TAKES ME WIGHT BACK
The UK island that’s like going back in time – with beachfront pubs and tropical gardens
You'll love the Spy Glass Inn's quirks
THERE’S something very special about the Isle of Wight.
It’s not the miles of rolling countryside, beautiful sandy beaches or even the countless affordable tourist attractions — although these are a huge bonus.
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And it’s not just that, having to get a ferry or hovercraft across the sea, forces you to have a proper psychological break from real life.
No, what makes the island truly stand out, is that nothing has changed here since about 1985.
Stepping foot on the island is like stepping back in time to a perfectly preserved previous era, in the best way possible.
It reminds me of a reassuring time of bucket-and-spade holidays, beachside penny arcades, village carnivals and buying a quarter of lemon sherbets for 45p.
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From the moment we stepped off that Wightlink ferry, I was taken back to my Eighties family holidays — where the island was a magical place for a nine-year-old obsessed with sandcastles and crabbing off the pier.
I hadn’t been back since my children were born — so I was interested to see if it would have the same appeal for them.
However, the big risk here was that we weren’t going in the height of summer.
Instead, we had picked a winter getaway.
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Our first few nights were at the Agatha Christie-style clifftop Luccombe Hall hotel, right above Shanklin village.
If you’ve got kids all you really need to know is that the hotel has a recently refurbished tropical-style indoor pool, an outdoor pool if you come in summer and a huge games room.
That’s the holiday sorted.
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Best of all, Shanklin village is a short stroll from here and has a shop selling rock, foodie spots dishing out doughnuts and slushies and loads of pubs, all perched above miles of beautiful sandy beach.
If you’d rather stay in a self-catering apartment, the sleek and modern Chale Bay Farm, just a field or so back from the cliffs and snuggled among the downs, is a real treat for children.
Its apartments vary in size, plus there’s a mini gym on-site, a sauna and the biggest DVD collection I’ve ever seen.
The island is only 22.5 miles across and 13.5 miles long — so anywhere you want to go won’t realistically take more than 45 minutes.
But take your car — as the bus service is still working on 1985-style timetables.
A 45-minute drive from our hotel was Ventnor Botanic Gardens which made us feel like we’d been transported to a lush tropical jungle, wandering among palms and groves.
It backs onto the coastal path, so you could also add on — children allowing — an invigorating blustery walk by the beach.
Walk alpacas
When you’re feeling peckish, just round the corner from here is one of my favourite pubs on the island, the Spy Glass Inn.
Right on sheltered, sandy Ventnor beach, it’s crammed full of pirates' nicknacks and often has live music.
It’s famed for its pints of fresh prawns, but there is a huge menu that will keep everyone happy.
If you want to put a smile on the kids’ faces then at the opposite end of the island is West Wight Alpacas — where you can walk alpacas and llamas around farmland.
My girls, aged ten and seven, absolutely loved it.
One walked Phoenix, a giant llama and the younger walked an alpaca called Enrique It’s 45 minutes of energising, innocent fun in a beautiful countryside setting.
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Even though it was winter, we couldn’t resist a visit to the seaside town of Ryde, with classic arcades, old-school bowling alleys and restaurants aplenty, all of which took me back to my Eighties holidays.
But whether or not it was the food shacks on windswept beaches, roaring fires in cosy pubs, or woolly alpacas nuzzling up to us, I truly felt like the island was welcoming me back with open arms.
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GO: Isle of Wight
GETTING THERE: Wightlink has ferries from Portsmouth to Ryde and Fishbourne, and Lymington to Yarmouth.
Return crossing for a car and four passengers from £119 in March.
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STAYING THERE: Four nights’ self-catering in a four-person apartment at Chale Bay Farm is from £556 in total.
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A family room for four at Luccombe Hall costs from £125 per night, B&B.
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OUT & ABOUT: A family ticket to Ventnor Botanic Garden costs £28 with entry for two adults and up to three children.
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Alpaca walks from £24.50pp.
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