What can be said about the Isle of Wight that hasn’t already been said! It is,
quite easily, one of the ten most beautiful places in Britain. Smooth golden
sandy beaches, beautiful scenery, quaint little villages, and pretty little sea
front parades. In fact, it’s difficult to believe that you’re still in Britain.
I’m sure that many of you reading this will at some time have visited the I.O.W,
but for those who are not familiar, basically, it’s a small island just south of
Portsmouth. The road network to reach the south coast obviously varies from
where you’re reading this. But from the Midlands, where I am, it was quite
simple to reach. M40 south, on to the A34 which takes you almost all the way
there, then it’s a short blast along the M3. Then you’ll follow the signs to
Southampton / Portsmouth or Lymington, whichever port your Ferry sails from. The
island is relatively small, but there are stacks to do. There’s loads of
Museums, Zoos, Theme Parks etc, or you can just explore the beautiful scenery.
Don’t be put off by having to use a Ferry. It’s no hassle at all. The tickets
get sent in the post a week or so before you leave, you follow signs to the
port, hand over the tickets to the chap on the gate, and then drive on the
Ferry. It really is that simple! The Ferry journey (as they haven’t built a
bridge or tunnel yet) is a very gentle relaxing half hour / hour float,
(depending where you sail from) before it’s time to get back in the car. When
you arrive at the other side, simply drive off the boat, and follow the signs to
wherever you’re going.
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park is situated on the East side of the island, in a
small village called ‘Bembridge.’ At Bembridge itself, although it’s a pretty
little place, there’s not a great deal to do there. A little Harbour, few shops,
Museum and a small beach. However, it’s close to lots of other places of
interest, such as Shanklin etc. The campsite is beautifully laid out, with large
pitches for Tents, Trailer Tents, Motorhomes or Caravans. The amenities are
excellent, and lots of them for every field (there’s 3 or 4 fields). There are
two sides to the site, the camping side, and over the road, the Chalets and
Static Caravans. There are two children’s play areas, indoor Swimming Pool,
outdoor Swimming Pool, Games Room, Gym, excellent entertainment every night,
Restaurants, Café’, Take away, children’s clubs, Crazy Golf the list goes on and
on. It’s a real activity place. If you’re looking for a true British traditional
family holiday, then look no further. A short, but steep walk will take you down
to a beach that is more like the Caribbean than England. Beautiful clean soft
sand, flanked by lovely rugged rocky cliffs. On the beach, there is a café’,
which sells lunches and drinks, to save you the walk back up the slope.
My wife, my son and myself, have been to this particular site twice. Once in
2003, and again in 2005. Both times we had a fabulous holiday, and didn’t want
to come home. The site is designed around families really, so if single, or a
couple in their golden years with no children, this might be too lively for you.
However, I guess it depends on the people themselves.
Any bad points? Well, it is difficult to think of any really. It is a very
popular site, and so it will be packed in the main holiday months. And as with
everywhere, the price goes up considerably, during August.
At what cost? Prices, as ever, vary depending on what time of year you go. It
ranges from £9.50 per night, up to £23.40 per night in the height of the season.
You can if you so wish, book the holiday, and then book the Ferry yourself, but Whitecliff Bay will do this for you, as part of a ‘Package’. At certain times of
the year, the Ferry is actually free if you book a pitch with them. We told them
the dates we wanted, and let them do the rest. They just send you a
confirmation, and the tickets just before you go. We had a 14-night ‘package’,
including the ferry, for a trailer tent and 3 people, for £160. I thought that
was quite good! It may have gone up now, that was 2005.
All in all, we had a really nice stay, and my (then) three-year-old son Oliver
loved it, which made it nice for us. The weather we had was good too as we went
in June, but apparently they call the Isle of Wight the ‘Sunshine Isle’, as it
receives more sunshine hours than anywhere else in the UK! I would
wholeheartedly recommend this site, and we will definitely be going there again.
Details:-
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park
Bembridge,
Isle of Wight
PO35 5PL