While staying at Farringford there is no need to travel far in pursuit of adventure.
Disconnect from technology and enjoy the unique tranquillity of the West Wight with its Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, all within easy reach of your cottage door. With the cost of living stretching us all there is no need to pay for amazing experiences – the west of the Island has so much to see and do for free!
The Tennyson Trail offers invigorating walking, cycling, and riding – all activities which you can join at various points to make your outing as challenging as you feel fit enough to take on. The most stunning walk begins at Freshwater Bay and heads up the down to the Tennyson Monument, with the option of continuing to the Needles beyond. Depending on the weather you may like to take a picnic with you and maybe some art utensils or your camera. Capture what you see or perhaps if you are not feeling artistic you could take a rubbing of the Tennyson quote at the monument. The climb can be quite tiring, but the views never disappoint. It is a great place to watch the clouds float by and it is easy to understand why the great poet found it so inspiring. The colours always change with the weather and sometimes the sea is so blue you might feel like you are on a tropical Island.
Looking for dinosaur footprints and fossils at Compton or Brook can be good fun. All you need to do is check out the tides - they will need to be out to see the footprints. Don your wellies and see what you can find. You will need to pay for parking, unless you are a member of the National Trust, and allow a couple of hours as you will get so absorbed in the beach and the waves, patterns in the sand, and just breathing in the sea air that you are very likely to lose all sense of time.
A stroll around Yarmouth can be very relaxing – especially if you like bijou galleries with unique cards, jewellery and gifts. There is always something to enjoy in Yarmouth, including several superb coffee shops where you can treat yourself to coffee and cake, or head to Gossips for a tasty ice cream before a wander up the Pier. The small beach is great for glass collecting and beachcombing. If you like to go crabbing the pier is a great hiding place for the crabs!
There is a planned Easter Egg Hunt at Mottistone - for just £3 children can enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt in the beautiful grounds of Mottistone Manor between 1st April and 16th April 10.30am to 5.30pm. Entry to the Easter Trail includes things to find and children collect stamps on their trail card to earn an Easter Egg. Fort Victoria is also offering an Eater Trail – 1st to 16th April for £2 per person.
Teenagers are always more challenging to entertain (until you get them outside!). West Wight Sports Centre will cater for them with Teens Revolutions and Teens Football. During the Easter break they offer a wide range of activities including rock climbing, kayaking and raft racing! See their website for the full itinerary and booking information.
The Aqua Park at Tapnell Farm, while not free is hugely popular – especially with teenagers! The Islands only floating water obstacle course offers a fun hour climbing over the water obstacles. Entry includes hire of wet suits and supervised ‘swimming’ and climbing – it is quite exhausting but great fun. If you want to opt out of the energetic water fun, there are activities to last all day at Tapnell. Please see their website before visiting as you may need to book beforehand at busy times.
If the car was too full to bring bikes but you fancy a cycle along some of the many miles of cycle paths there are several places where you can hire them. The cycle path from Yarmouth is great for young children as it’s on the level and you are away from traffic.
The Isle of Wight Mountain Bike Centre near Shorwell is a great place for trail riding and learning tricks. The centre has bikes to hire too – it is best described as a ski centre for mountain bike riders with trails of red, blue, and black levels of difficulty. You can pay a one-off fee to cover all your holiday or opt to ‘pay as you play’.
There are of course a whole host of tourist focussed places and activities to suit all age groups and interests, but the ones we’ve highlighted are favourites among the Island community for ‘getting outside’ and away from ‘technology’ during the holidays. Come and enjoy the natural beauty of the Island and escape from it all like Tennyson and Queen Victoria did all those years ago.