‘Dinosaur poo!” I screeched, sounding like an overexcited nature presenter. I was trying to enthuse my seven-year-old son, who had set his sights on finding a velociraptor skeleton on the beach, and wasn’t overly impressed with the little black stone in my hand.
The Isle of Wight is big on dinosaurs. Fans can literally walk in their footsteps at Compton and Brook beaches on the west coast, where there are stone casts of iguanodon prints. Yaverland beach on the other side of the island, where Trevor Price of the Dinosaur Isle museum runs guided walks, is another hot spot: fossils are regularly unearthed at the foot of the crumbling cliffs – although not, as it turns out, velociraptors (try Mongolia for those). After two hours of picking up pebbles, we had a bucketful of genuine, if small, pieces of pre-history, which Trevor identified as coprolite (fossilised faeces), a sponge stomach, a piece of 120 million-year-old cracked mud, and a bivalve fossil.
Despite the minuscule chance of finding a large dinosaur fossil, the Isle of Wight is a children’s paradise, packed with attractions, ringed with beaches and dotted with ice-cream parlours. Nettlecombe Farm near Ventnor makes for an idyllic family stay: it’s a collection of cottages with 360-degree views of fields, a play area and pens full of animals that children immediately want to take home – a comically small pony, huge rabbits, big-headed Hampshire Down sheep that look like cuddly toys and, at Easter, newborn lambs. Every weekday morning, farm worker Lucy takes children to feed the animals.
But there is stuff to excite grown-ups, too: while handing out pellets to the kids, Lucy told me about the arts scene in nearby Ventnor. As well as being home to internationally renowned Australian sculptor Ron Mueck, this tiny seaside town has a thriving home-grown creative community. The Ventnor Fringe, set up by six young friends in 2010, is now a major event on the island’s calendar, expected to attract 4,000 visitors this August when the inaugural Ventnor International Festival will also run.
The towns’ former post office, which served as the fringe office, is now the Ventnor Exchange, an arts hub a cafe/arts hub/record store. It could hardly be further from the bucket-and-spade image of the island, but as Jack Whitewood, one of the six founders, said, “There’s always been a strong counter-culture here alongside the royal connection and the sailing.”
A century before the infamous Isle of Wight festival of 1970, the Freshwater Circle was the island’s equivalent of the Bloomsbury set – a group of bohemian artists, writers and poets who gathered at the home of pioneering, free-thinking photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Among her friends were Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Lewis Carroll.
For Whitewood, the festivals are a chance not just to continue that creative tradition but to revitalise the whole island: “We’re really interested in what our generation can do in places like this, where a lot of young people are struggling – in the same way that the arts have revived places like Margate and Folkestone. Ray Foulk [the founder of the Isle of Wight festival who persuaded Bob Dylan to come to play on the island instead of Woodstock] but we want to avoid the boom and bust of that time and grow slowly,” he told me referring to the massive crowds at the 1970 festival that led to large gatherings being banned altogether on the island.
After excellent coffee at the Exchange we continued to another spot recommended by Lucy. A 20-minute walk west along the promenade, past the “world famous” Spyglass Inn and over cliffs is Steephill Cove, loved by locals but often overlooked by tourists - perhaps because it’s only accessible on foot. As if a sheltered bay bright with lobster pots and buoys and ringing with the sounds of free-roaming kids wasn’t idyllic enough, Steephill also has not one but four great places to eat at the water’s edge.
At one end, the Beach Shack serves crab salad, crab tart and sandwiches on a terrace that looks like it’s been transplanted from the south of France. Next door, the Crab Shed offers a similar menu but with an added bonus of crab pasties – fresh crab meat in flaky buttery pastry, which were as good as they sound. A few doors down, the Boathouse also serves seafood from a sea-facing deck, while the Cove Coffee Shop does massive sandwiches, homemade cake and local ice-cream.
This was shaping up to be a trip of unexpected finds, and while we would happily have spent the next few days ensconced at the cove, we’d promised our son a trip to Blackgang Chine. Named after a now-destroyed “chine” (ravine in the soft cliffs) this theme park has been on the tourist map for a long time. Opened in 1843 as a curiosity garden with a showpiece whale skeleton, it celebrates its 175th anniversary next year. It is still something of an oddity, with one small rollercoaster amid a collection of entertainments that feel firmly rooted in a bygone era. In Cowboy Town, a recreated Wild West, kids with newly acquired cap guns hare about shooting at anything in their path; there’s also a hall of mirrors, a maze, a pirate ship, an animatronic dinosaur “enclosure” and the original whale. For me, the biggest attraction was its location on cliffs overlooking the Channel: it surely has the best views of any UK theme park.
Another local tip-off – this time from Blackgang’s marketing manager – led us to Colwell Bay, on the island’s western tip. On the way, the view from the cliffs above Brook Chine was so good we stopped to take it in on foot, admiring kitesurfers as they skimmed across the water, the white cliffs of the Needles forming a perfect backdrop.
The nautical-themed Hut restaurant at Colwell is popular with boat owners on the mainland, who zip over the Solent, drop anchor and call the restaurant to send out a rib to bring them ashore. A favourite of rich yachties wouldn’t normally be my choice but it proved an inspired tip. We enjoyed excellent fish curry (£18) and hake while watching the sun set over the bay, Hurst castle, visible in the distance.
On our last day, after another round of animal feeding and pleas for a pet from our son, we headed to Fishbourne ferry port via Seaview beach on the east coast. Or that was our plan. Intrigued by a sign for Brading Roman Villa, we pulled over and discovered one of the best Roman sites in Britain: the extensive remains of a second-century house, with intricate mosaic floor.
Like the land itself, which rewards fossil hunters and archaeologists, the Isle of Wight has more layers than it’s usually given credit for. Take that bucket and spade, but keep your eyes peeled for other treasures.
• Accommodation was provided by Nettlecombe Farm (01983 730783, nettlecombefarm.co.uk), which has cottages for four from £350 a week. Ferry crossings with Wightlink (from £61.50 return per car, wightlink.co.uk) were provided by Visit Isle of Wight
Ask a local
Jack Whitewood, co-founder of the Ventor Fringe (8-13 August 2017) on five of his favourite spots on the island
Compton Beach
Well worth the drive along the Military Road, which runs up the west coast of the island is this beautiful beach with stunning views.
St Catherine’s Lighthouse
Everyone always heads to the famous Needles but in my opinion St Catherine’s, on the southern tip of the island, is much more beautiful. It’s a great spot for surfing, too.
Bonchurch Inn
Hidden away in the south-coast village of the same name, this is the authentic pub experience, with ale served straight from the barrel. It’s owned by an Italian family, though, and serves the best lasagne this side of Milan!
The Mess
This is a great little cafe and cocktail bar in Cowes. With a real DIY vibe, it’s a little different from the other restaurants in town.
Quay Arts
This arts centre on the harbour in Newport has two great galleries and a theatre which hosts lots of live music. There’s a really nice shop and cafe, too, and the decking on the river is a good place for hot days.
