10 fantastic ideas for an Easter family break on the Isle of Wight with Wightlink
With crossing times from 22 minutes, you get more holidaying and less travelling. It also means you can make the most of everything the Island has to offer – great beaches and exciting attractions for all the kids.
The Isle of Wight, easily reached with Wightlink, offers you a chance to really get away from it all – from just £57 for a day return with the car or travel on foot and Kids Go Free* all through the school holidays. Book today at wightlink.co.uk/news
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1) Family fun
From a Royal residence to a rocket testing site, from riding the waves to riding a rollercoaster, from forests to an illuminated gorge, we’ve got an attraction for every type of family.
Whether you have an hour, a day, a weekend or a week to spend on the Isle of Wight you’ll experience something you’ve never seen before.
Take the FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour railway station and you’ll be in Ryde in just 22 minutes. Or take the car and leave from Wightlink’s ferry port in Gunwharf, arriving in Fishbourne 45 minutes later.
2) Family shows at Quay Arts
The Island’s leading live arts venue hosts two events for the little ones this Easter – SLIME! and Little Grimm Tales. Enter the undergrowth to squish, squelch and play your way through this hilarious, surreal show for 2-5 years and their families on 24 April.
Or choose beasts and breadcrumbs, wolves and witches, frogs and fairies in a stunning new adaptation of Grimm’s most magical tale, on 18 April.
3) Beach days
Being an island means we’ve got more than our fair share of coast – from sunny, sandy, traditional family beaches to wild cliffs and secluded coves.
Choose the wide sandy beaches of Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin or Yaverland for a traditional British seaside experience – perfect for buckets and spades, paddling and picnics.
4) Easter Cuteness at Tapnell Farm Park
Head over to West Wight where Tapnell Farm Park is celebrating new beginnings this Easter, with a mix of furry (and not so furry) babies, from 9-22 April. Come and meet the calves, kids, lambs, chicks, harvest mice, tortoises and more.
There’s plenty of crafty fun to be had in the craft cabin (on selected dates). Don’t forget the tasty treats in the Coffee House too!
5) Easter Egg Hunt at Mottistone Gardens
Treat the little ones to a world of adventures at Mottistone Gardens on the Easter Egg activity trail on 11 April. Make your way along the nature trail, take in the season highlights and find nature-inspired activities for the whole family.
Make your own nature discoveries, have fun and collect your chocolate egg at the end.
6) Wildheart Animal Sanctuary
This beautiful sanctuary is a little oasis by the sea, built within the ruins of a Victorian Fort at Sandown. The sanctuary has a variety of animals, but the experts from the Wildheart Trust specialise in two particular areas - tigers and lemurs. You’ll also find meerkats, wallabies, birds, lions, monkeys and reptiles here.
7) Easter Falconry Experience at Robin Hill
Are you ready to spread your wings this Easter? Fly through Robin Hill’s brand-new Falconry Centre opening from 9 April – with exclusive experiences available throughout the Easter school holidays.
Enjoy dynamic falconry displays led by their Head Falconer, as he combines innovation and contemporary falconry techniques for breathtaking experiences that the whole family can enjoy!
8) The UK’s oldest theme park
At Blackgang Chine you can walk the dinosaur trail, search for your favourite characters in Nurseryland, enjoy a cowboy adventure, explore the Crooked House and reflect on life in the Hall of Mirrors.
Blackgang has plenty of great rides and slides, including the Waterforce, the Cliffhanger rollercoaster and two brand new rides for 2022 – Evolution and Shipwrecked.
9) The Great Railway Easter Hunt
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway chicks have gone quackers at Havenstreet this Easter! Follow the clues as you explore the station, hunting for Easter eggs on 15-18 April.
Can you find them all and claim your prize? Expect lots of fun and games around the station. Top off your day with a springtime ride through the Island’s picturesque countryside.
10) Fossil hunting
The soaring coastline at Compton Bay can be a fossil-finder’s delight, with dinosaur footprints visible at low tide.
Hailed as ‘the richest source of dinosaur remains in Europe’ means you automatically up your chances of getting lucky with a find. And if your young fossil hunters don’t strike lucky, whisk them along west to Hanover Point where they can ‘discover’ huge, fossilised foot casts preserved in the rocks on the beach.