The Lakes Rookley

Godshill village, a five-minute drive away, was the venue for the first Isle of Wight festival way back in 1968 and is now best known for its model village, a 1:10 scale of it and the old village of Shanklin. (Such is its detail that it has the model village modelled within the model, and one within that… no doubt you'll have great amusement introducing this concept to the kids.) Both Blackgang and Robin Hill parks are Isle of Wight institutions and beautifully bonkers in their mix of activities: expect land, water and pirate barrel rides; mazes, giant snakes and ladders and themed playgrounds for toddlers and up. Both have a considerable countryside and wildlife bent too and include falconry displays, environmental exhibitions and woodland gardens with butterfly garden and Treehouse Woodland Centre at Robin Hill. Westwards, another must-do is The Needles Park and beach chairlift at Alum Bay’s multi-coloured cliffs and the stunning walk along the beach to Alum Bay Chine. The Isle of Wight Coast Path loops through here – as it does all along the coastline – and is part of around 70 miles of coastline and around 500 miles of footpaths to pedal and walk.