Which British Island is the best for children?
Being UK residents, we have definitely not shied away from the staycation, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, this was pretty much the only way we could still have a mini-break with the family!
As part of our UK Staycations, we’ve travelled to the Isle of Wight, which is our recommended island for a UK staycation or even a mini-break within your foreign travel to the UK!
Here’s why!
Short journey times
The Isle of Wight is tiny, so the longest journey time you will have is probably the ferry crossing getting onto the island. Anything else is easily navigable within a 30-40 minute drive on the island. When you’ve got the kids in the car with you, we all know there’s nothing worse than a long and arduous journey!
Great castles
The Isle of Wight is home to 2 beautiful castles. The first being Osborne House, the residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in Cowes, and the second being Carisbrooke Castle in Newport. Both are English Heritage sites, so if you’re a member, you can enter for free! Who doesn’t love a free day out with the kids?
The Needles
A visit to the Needles is a must! This part of the Isle of Wight’s coastline on Alum Bay beach features an exciting chair lift to take you down from the cliff top to the pebble beach below, and you’ll grab some amazing photos of the Needles while enjoying a great day out at the seaside.
Animal encounters
The Isle of Wight is home to Monkey Haven, Amazon World, Butterfly World, West Wight Alpacas and Tapnell Farm, but aside from the usual touristy attractions, you can also take the children horse riding at the Island Riding Centre! Our children absolutely loved this and it’s a great way to kill a few hours, and let the adults have a beverage in the onsite cafe while the kids are occupied with their instructors!
Glass blowing
The Isle of Wight is famous for expert glass blowing, it even has a museum dedicated to glass blowing in Arreton, which is the only museum of its kind in the South of England! Entry costs only £1pp so you can visit without spending lots of money. In some places on the Isle of Wight, you can visit glass blowing shops where you can see how beautiful glass ornaments are made, too.
So, where can you stay?
Depending on your budget, you may prefer to book a hotel or Airbnb to suit your needs, but we found a fantastic place called The Lakes Rookley in Ventnor. We stayed in a gorgeous 3 bed cabin (which in reality was more like a full-sized house!) with a hot tub, we had a pool onsite, and lots of activities open for the kids even in the off season. We went for a very cold but fun kayaking session, and the kids enjoyed doing some arts and crafts too!
