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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

More Isle of Wight advice needed regarding camping / nodes point / prices / days out etc

75 replies

mosschops30 · 01/05/2007 13:32

Used to go to IOW as a child but have never taken mine. We are having an early holiday abroad this year so thought IOW would be nice late august.

Anyway planning to go about 28/8 and have seen a pre-erected tent for 4 nights for £269 at Nodes Point. Now from someone who has never camped in their life I dont know if this is a good deal or not, or what its like, or if I will cope without hair straighteners

Is there still lots to do for children on IOW, lots of suggestions welcome

OP posts:
RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2007 11:03

oooooooooh that is my beutican suejonez

RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2007 11:08

here is the thread about Kelly

She is lovely and deffo brill

I know she is away in May/June

Sorry can't remember exactly when

suejonez · 02/05/2007 11:09

thanks Kanga - I remembered it from some time ago and fancy a facial will be going with a friend so we can take turns to look after DC's and both have one - what luxury!

Original poster
mosschops30 · 02/05/2007 12:27

thanks for lots of advice. I am quite excited now

so is everyone agreed that £269 for the tent is good value then? oh I know I'm going to regret it!!!! (but good news about straighteners)

suej, will see you on the beach, it will be full of welshies (I'm in Cardiff, but english)

thanks peachyclair, lots of stuff there for info much appreciated , are there lots of places to eat as we will be driving round and visiting different places, we like to eat out, dont plan on spending the night watching the entertainment (we suffer enough of that on our other holiday). The beach sounds idyllic, am going to show dh this thread later as he is still undecided.

Do you know if there is a limit to no. of people in a tent, I know its one double and two twin rooms, but is a possibility of going with another couple, who have a 2 yr old so that would be 4 adults, 1 child and 2 2yr olds? I suppose I could email park resorts

OP posts:
RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2007 12:42

There are loads and loads of family friendly pubs all over the place

SJ

RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2007 12:48

JOUSTING @ Carrisbrooke Castle over bank holiday weekend DS loves this day out

suejonez · 02/05/2007 13:03

MOsschops I will save this thread and arragne to meet on the beach then! I went to Uni in Cardiff [cough] years ago so know it well and I'm sort of English/sort of Welsh.

pickledpear · 02/05/2007 13:09

just take a bucket then in night when you all want a pee you dont have to go to toilet block

Original poster
mosschops30 · 02/05/2007 19:05

suej deffo see you on the beach (I'll be the one with bad hair lol). Unfortunately I'll still be at Cardiff Uni for another year sigh, but I'm a mature student.

Peachy, can you tell me how easy it is to drive your car in and out of the park resort every day?

RTKM that looks amazing and we would just catch it in time, dd would love it, she is already planning a trip to Osbourne house too

OP posts:
RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2007 19:27

btw we have never prebooked it we have always just turned up with a picnic and a rug to sit on.

DS loves it and I am sure your DD will too.

The car park is in a different place for the jousting cos it is in the field beside the castle but it is very well signposted.

You walk up from car park {which is in a field} past where they keep the horses.

You can go into the castle to see the donkeys go round the wheel to bring up the bucket fromt he well

They have different shows and activities through the day like trying on a full set of armour, medivial dancing, medicvla singing and music, a falconry display - one year when we were there one of the perigrine falcons flew away right over to the mainland

They got him back though.

It is a really deffo brill day out.

Also when you go to Osbourne go in the horse and carriage down to Swiss Cottage etc to see where the children had their little house and all the gardening and kitchen things in miniture. Also the bathing cubicle that the horses pulled out to sea for Victoria to go into the water in.
You can get a bus back again or do it the other way round.

or walk down and get carriage back again.

PeachyChocolateEClair · 02/05/2007 19:27

Mosschops there's no issue with that at all, they expect the campers to be doing that- although there is a bus. Its all set up as roadways! Its not justa field you know LOL!

You graduate same time as me then? We were given our dissertation talking to on Monday and next years exam dates!!!! I'm doing a self teach module next year though so not in as much (hard work though- the teacher for the MA I want to do eventually left so i ahve to teach myself year 3 Buddhism LOL )

You'll be fine, honest!

suejonez · 02/05/2007 19:39

what course are you doing Mosschops? I did Economics at what was then UWIST but is now grandly titled Cardiff Business School!

Original poster
mosschops30 · 02/05/2007 19:51

thanks peachy, I have decided to deffo go for it now, my friends have also persuaded me to go to Oxwich this weekend to get me started.

I am doing nursing with sallystrawberry in Cardiff.

Please tell me I will enjoy it peachy, I am not a camping sort of girl, am very scared of having a major disaster

OP posts:
suejonez · 02/05/2007 19:54

mosschops - if you're desparate you can always come and have showers at my sisters house

Original poster
mosschops30 · 02/05/2007 20:00

dont tell me that I'll be knocking on the door every morning straighteners in hand

oh I'm sure it'll be fine, seems to have lots of praise on here.

next stress will be working out how to fit ecerything in to 4 days ...phew

all excited now, still trying to get dh to sit down and read thread

OP posts:
PeachyChocolateEClair · 02/05/2007 20:06
  1. don't try to fit everything in 4 days, ytou can always come back, and if you really ike it and want to return won't you want new stuff to so?
  1. you'll love it. DH hates the idea of camping- he was a Las vegas suite sorta guy- then we were broke, only chance we had for a hol and now he's an addict . Its waht you make of it. Sittinga round after dusk outside (and wait til you see the views at Nodes- especially if there's a stunning storm in the bay as there was last year, breathtaking) with the kids tucked up in the tent besides you, bottle of wine- amazing.
MegaLegs · 02/05/2007 20:10

We went to the beach there last summer and I had a look round the campsite looked good. there's a brilliant beach cafe/ restaurant there, we had lunch at a huge table. (Just seen Peachy has mentioned it - baywatch - was deffo brill.)

Does anyone know the name of the site further up the hill, we passed it as we drove down the hill from Sandown direction into Bembridge.

MegaLegs · 02/05/2007 20:11

Forgot to say we took all 9 kids (age range 2-7) to Robin Hill and they loved it and so did the grownups, esp the tobogan run thing.

Original poster
mosschops30 · 02/05/2007 20:12

peachy you make it sound perfect

OP posts:
PeachyChocolateEClair · 02/05/2007 20:29

If thats the sort of thing you like then prepare to be a convert (hey we even have a carpeted tent! Its not all backpacks and grunge these days)

ChippyMinton · 03/05/2007 10:29

megalegs - was the site you mention called Landguard?

MegaLegs · 03/05/2007 11:07

Don't think it was that one. When I search I can only get Nodes Point or Whitecliff Bay. On the OS map there is a campsite marked, near Hillway further inland but I can't find out what it's called. We saw it up on the hill as we drove towards Bembridge on the Sandown Rd, near the Windmill I think.

ChippyMinton · 03/05/2007 11:10

carpenters farm? - scroll down

ChippyMinton · 03/05/2007 11:11

website here - looks nice

pickledpear · 03/05/2007 11:13

whitecliff bay