Isle Of Wight

Holiday Brief

For the bank holday at the end of May, we should go to the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. We can go from Saturday to Monday if it's possible. There are a few things that need to be organised, but it shouldn't be too hard, wight?!

Who's coming

• Marc - definite
• Mildred - definite
• Rebecca (Ben's Cookies flavoured) - definite
• Caz - 99.4% probability
• Tom - definite (if Lee's going)
• Matt - definite
• Lee - definite (if Tom's going)
• Tim - may have to book assuming not coming
• Sissy - may have to book assuming not coming
• Definitely - Maybe
• Dr Sloan - too busy

Definites - 7, Maybes - 2

Transport there and back

This has now been booked -

Red Funnel - 2 x (Car + 3 people) = £139

Out-bound: Saturday 27/05/06 - 4pm from Southampton to East Cowes

Return Journey: Monday 29/05/06 - 1.30pm from East Cowes to Southampton

check-in time: at least 30 mins before departure time. We just have to present our booking no.s: 2906126, 2906215

transit time: 55 mins

Our vehicle ferry terminal in Southampton (Terminal 1) can be found at Dock Gate 7 on Town Quay Road, S014 2AQ - follow signs to Southampton Waterfront. Our Isle of Wight vehicle terminal is at Trinity Yard, East Cowes PO32 6RF.

Where we'll stay

We're staying in Sandown now in the Chester Lodge Hotel. The cost is £28ppn and two car parking spaces are available for us. There will be three single rooms and one triple room.

The hotel blurb is as follows:

"We are a friendly family run 16 bedroom hotel. Our detached residence stands in its own grounds and is situated in an ideal position in the best part of Sandown. just minutes to shops and facing the sea - many of our rooms are sea view!

Sandown has a lovely climate, having held the "All England" sunshine record for many years. Safe, sandy beaches, pier, picturesque wooded roads, fantastic views from "The Downs" and extensive attractions all make for a perfect holiday or short break.

Sandown is a family resort. There are nightclubs, pubs, restaurants and cafes. The kids will have hours of fun on Browns Pitch and Putt whilst close by is the Zoo with tiger sanctuary. Sandown also has an 18-hole golf course, small airport where you can take a pleasure flight and even a Dinosaur Museum where you can wonder at the Prehistoric Visitors that the Island used to cater for.

We are easily accessible to all amenities and have a bus stop 100 yards away with links to all areas of the Island and the Sandown tour."

There's a pretty cool webcam at http://www.camvista.com/england/other/isleofwight_sandown.php?pageMode=nonjava .

About the Isle of Wight

Natives

The earliest known inhabitants of the island are dinosaurs, some of whose bones have been discovered in recent times. Dinosaur Isle is a museum in Sandown which displays many of these relics.

The native-born islanders have a very strong sense of local identity, sometimes thinking of the Island almost as though England were a separate country.

The natives were formerly cannibals, later reforming into vegetarians who look after the island.

At first you may feel out of place, but the islanders are mainly friendly, and will make you feel at home.

What we'll do

Ryde

On The Way Down

Zorbing

Zorbing is possible in theory, but we'd have to make an early start :-( ie. leaving at 9am! and also, it's a bit expensive -

• £35 for 1 person/ ride
• £55 for 2 people/ ride
• £65 for 3 people/ ride

But I'm up for it though. Again, we'd have to book this quite quickly.

-- Matt

Actually there is 2 for 1 on Zorbing at the moment Spring special so it's a bargainous 2 for £35! But we'd hav to do it on the way back because the offer excludes saturdays.

-- The Great Thumbholio

Zorbing is booked, I found a better deal - the half-term special- £30 for 2 people/ zorb. So I booked us all in for the hydro zorb at around 4pm, on Monday on the way back.

--Matt

Shakeaway

Buy an aero ® mint ~ after eight ® (v) ~ amaretti (ng) ~ apple (v) ~ apple & blackberry (v) apple pie (ng) ~ apricot (v) ~ bakewell tart (ng) ~ banana (v) ~ banoffee muffin (ng)battenburg (nv) (ng) ~ blackcurrant (v) ~ blackcurrant cheesecake (ng) ~ black jacks ® (nv)blueberry nutrigrain ® (ng) ~ boost ® (ng) ~ bounty ® dark ~ bounty ® milk bourbon biscuit (ng) ~ bournville ® (ng) ~ butterscotch ~ cadbury's caramel ® cadbury's chocolate mini roll ® (ng) ~ cadbury's creme egg ® ~ cadbury's fruit & nut ® (ng) cappuccino muffin (ng) ~ caramel shortbread ~ caramel snack-a-jacks ® carrot cake (ng) ~ cherry (v) choca mocha ~ chocolate ~ chocolate & cherry ~ chocolate chip cookie (ng) chocolate fudge brownie (ng) ~ chocolate digestive ® milk (ng) ~ chocolate digestive ® plain (ng) chocolate hob nob ® milk (ng) ~ chocolate hob nob ® plain (ng) ~ chocolate muffin (ng) chocolate & peanut butter ~ chocolate pop tart ® (nv) (ng) ~ coco pops ® (ng) ~ coconut (v) coffee (v) ~ crunchie ® ~ crunchy nut corn flakes ® ~ cucumber (v) ~ curly wurly ® custard ~ custard creams (ng) ~ dime bar ® ~ dolly mixtures ® (nv) double decker ® ~ egg custard tart (ng) ~ farley's rusk ® (ng) ferrero rocher ® ~ fig roll ® (ng) ~ flying saucers ® (nv) (ng) ~ fondant fancies ® (nv) (ng) fruit salad chews ® (nv) ~ fry's orange cream ® (v) ~ fry's peppermint cream ® (v)fudge ~ ginger (v) ~ ginger nuts (v) (ng) ~ gooseberry (v) & custard grapefruit (v) ~ haribo starmix ® (nv) ~ hazelnut choc chip cookie (ng) hershey's cookies 'n creme ® (ng) ~ honey ~ humbug mints (v) ~ iced gems ® jaffa cake ® (ng) ~ jam doughnut (ng) ~ jam tart (ng) ~ jamaica ginger cake (ng) jammie dodger ® (ng) ~ jammie wagon wheel ® (nv) (ng) ~ jelly babies ® (nv) jelly beans (nv) ~ jelly tots ® (v) ~ kinder bueno ® (ng) ~ kit kat chunky ® (ng) lemon & lime (v) ~ lemon curd ~ lemon drizzle cake (ng) ~ lemon meringue ~ lime (v) lion bar ® (ng) ~ liquorice allsorts (nv) ~ love hearts ® (nv) ~ malted milk biscuits (ng)maltesers ® (ng) ~ mandarin (v) ~ maple syrup (v) ~ mars ® (ng) ~ marshmallow (nv) melon (v) ~ milky bar ® ~ minstrels ® (ng) ~ m&m ® peanut (nv) (ng) ~ nutella ® orange marmalade ~ oreo cookie ® (ng) ~ parma violets ® (nv) ~ passion fruit (v) peach (v) ~ peanut butter (v) ~ pear (v) ~ pineapple (v) ~ raspberry (v) ~ reeces cups ® refreshers ® (nv) ~ revels ® (ng) ~ rhubarb (v) & custard ~ rolo ® ~ sesame snaps ® (v) sherbet fountain ® (v w/o liquorice) (ng) ~ skittles ® (nv) ~ smarties ® (nv) (ng) snickers ® ~ snowball ® ~ special k bar ® (ng) ~ spotted dick (ng) ~ starburst ® (v) strawberries (summer only) (v) ~ strawberry cheesecake (ng) ~ strawberry laces (nv) (ng) strawberry trifle (ng) ~ sugar puffs ® ~ syrup sponge (ng) ~ terry's choc orange ® milk (ng) ~ tic tacs lime & orange ® ~ tic tacs mint ® (v) ~ toblerone ® ~ toffee cheesecake (ng) toffee popcorn ~ treacle tart (ng) ~ trebor extra strong mints ® (nv) ~ turkish delight ® twix ® (ng) ~ vanilla (v) ~ walnut whip ® OR weetabix ® flavour milkshake at Southampton branch of 'Shakeaway' if we get the ferry from there.

While We're There

Matt's ideas

• play volleyball on the beach?

Tom's Ideas

• Go for a walk along the beach / cliffs
• Go and have a look at the needles and the lighthouse
• Make sand castles
• Faff about a bit

Marc's Ideas

• Album Bay (coloured sands)
• The WW II fort built into the cliff (either on the east or west point of the island)+
• The old ballistic missile testing range
• Blackgang Chine (incredible trippy theme park with gnomes and life size giants etc)+
• Cowes (if it's the right time of the year)

+ - if they are still there; the sea has been eroding the cliffs and making them fall into the sea

Other places to visit are:

• Cowes - Large town, you can get the ferry over from Southampton.
• Newport - Large town in the centre of island.
• Sandown - Typical seaside resort. Amusement arcades/crazy golf/pier/zoo etc. Plenty of B&Bs.
• Shanklin - Just down the coast from Sandown, again lots of B&Bs.

Nightclubs are mainly in the 'holiday' areas of Shanklin / Ventnor

Caroline's Ideas

Only preferences are extreme sports/activities, as follows:

• scuba diving/snorkelling and surfing
• water skiing
• visit Branston farm (ok not so extreme, but we'll need a break and there might be baby animals there!!!)
• Robin Hill Country Park (Boasts the island's three biggest rides - The Tobaggan Run, The Time Machine and Colossus plus MUCH MUCH MORE)
• Isle of Wight Horse Riding (let me know in advance so that I can bring my horse riding outfit, helmit included!)

• Butterfly Paragliding Ltd (Tandem flights: Soar the cliffs one on one with an instructor. Usually around twenty minutes airborne.

Same day bookings and gift vouchers, free upgrades. Allow enough time for a full afternoon on site. An unforgettable 'learning to fly' experience)

• Vectis Gliding Club: Gliding may be an activity that you have always wanted to try but have never had the opportunity to do so. Well, why not come and experience the thrill of silent flight by visiting the Vectis Gliding Club on the Isle of Wight.

The sensation of flight differs from that of any other activity and the view from 2000 feet above the ground provides an interesting and quite different view of the Islands natural beauty.

• Island Offroad Adventure. Experience adrenaline at 5mph! 4X4 driver training and corporate entertainment. Open to all, whatever your experience. Fantastic white knuckle site. Qualified instructors.

• Goodleaf Tree Climbing Adventures. Based in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Goodleaf Tree Climbing Adventures offers you the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic couple of hours climbing ancient trees on private land. Under full supervision from a qualified arborist you will soon be swinging between the branches and seeing the Island from a new perspective!

Rebecca's Ideas

• 1. Crazy golf tournament
• 2. Beach football and volleyball and frisbee
• 3. Surfing +
• 4. Wakeboarding +
• 5. Sea kayaking +
• 6. Horse riding
• 7. Country walk or cycle with Bens picnic cookies lunch bens
• 8. Tennis - no yellow 'tennis outfits' allowed
• 9. The WW2 Fort and Blackgang Chine ++
• 10. Old fashioned country pubs
• 11. Funfair (or theme park if there is one, I'll believe it when I see it)
• 12. 2 pence machines at the amusement arcade
• 13. Day out at the public lending library

+ If weather conditions allow ++ If they have fallen into the sea - sounds funny!

Budget

Marc's Spend!

Item	Cost
Hotel deposit	£168 (£168 still to pay)

Matt's Spend!

Item	Cost
Zorbing	£91.94
Ferry	£139