Isle of Wight at easter time. Any good?

[mckenzie]

Will the weather be as unpredictable as it is here in North London? Will the tourist venues all be heaving? Is it a good choice for a 4/5 day break for the DCs and me perhaps?

The weather's the same as anywhere else in the south of England, and just as unpredictable. I was there last Easter and we were building snowmen on the beach. Three days later it was blazing sunshine.

It's a fairly low-key place with few tourist 'hotspots' so you can generally find some peace and quiet. What did you have in mind?

Someone else, a while ago, recommended Gurnard Pines and from the website, it looks great. DS is 7 and DD will be 4. I would like to take the children to the places I remember going to as a child (back in the 70s, so only if they still exist!). Places like Black Gang Chine, the Needles etc.
Did you enjoy it? Would you recommend a place to stay?

I love the Isle of Wight and in the summer the weather is often a tad better than on the mainland.

I don't think you can count on good weather at Easter though.

We stayed in a lovely cottage in Bembridge.

The towns on the south side of the island - Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor are very nice.

I wasn't so impressed with Ryde - everywhere we tried to get something to eat didn't allow children.

We tend to stay in a mobile home either here which has a nice pool on site but nothing else or here which has evening entertainment if that's your kind of thing, and is next to the beach.

Blackgang will be as you remember it, but with a new rollercoaster and waterslide. There's usually an option to return free of charge on another day

Needles is tacky but has the place where you can make your own sand-filled bottles for a couple of quid.

There's a couple of dinosaur museums.

And the steam railway.

Wouldn't bother with any of the other 'attractions' unless you have tesco deals vouchers to use.

thanks very much for those extra tips. I still haven't booked anything yet (top of my list but keep getting side tracked!) but I'm getting quite excited.

Booked now. Fingers crossed for semi-decent weather

Please may I re-open this thread to see if anyone has nay other ideas of things to do with the DCs? I've booked the Dinosaur Isle walk and checked out the steam railway.
Anything else I should consider?
TIA

How old are your children?
IOW is lovely, you'll have a great time!
Can I also suggest that you check out Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard while you're in the area? It's brilliant!
Just down the road (literally) is Gunwharf Quays and the Spinnaker Tower - also worth checking out.
There's loads to do in Southsea with the kids.

thanks Mamii. DS is 7 and DD is just turned 4.

Things to do in the IOW:

• Osborne House
• Carisbrooke Castle
• www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk
• Brading Roman Villa
• Seaview Wildlife Encounter: Flamingo Park
• Blackgang Chine
• Amazon World Zoo Park
• Needles Park
• Dinosaur Isle (Sandown)
• Isle of Wight Zoo
• Ventnor Botanic Gardens
• Robin Hill: www.robin-hill.com
• Brickfields Horse Country (Ryde)

IOW is very pretty, slightly in a time wharp. You'll love it and so will the kids.

Portsmouth is fantastic for a day out. As well as the Dockyard and Gunwharf. There is a LOT for family's. It's an area steeped in 1000 years of history! Did you know, the best example of a Roman Castle in North Europe is in Portchester? Portchester Castle is wonderful and also worth a visit.

Have a great time!

I love the IOW. It is indeed in a bit of a timewarp, have fish and chips on the beach and go to the theme park in Black Gang Chine (DP went 40 years ago and said it hadn't changed much!)
You can collect oysters and eat them with hot chips on the beach.

We go in October half term. Its still lovely.

Ferries can range massively in price. Make sure you check out all the operators. Red Funnel was much, much cheaper.

thanks very much for those replies. I shall be so organised for this holiday - the DCs will be amazed!

Forgot Carisbrook Castle - there are donkeys that operate a treadmill.

Thanks for mentioing he Dinosuar Isle fossil walks - just what i was looking for (might see you there mckenzie LOL)