Isle of Wight Walks (Part Two) - Gurnard and Cowes

This walk begins at the Woodvale Hotel in Gurnard, on the Island’s north coast, and is disabled-friendly as it uses a flat paved surface throughout. At 1.7 miles (2.8 kilometers) it should take most walkers less than an hour, although being linear rather than circular there is the small matter of getting back to the starting point if you have travelled there by car!

1. From the Woodvale simply walk down to Princes Esplanade and follow along to Egypt Point and continue along the Esplanade. This path continues along the seafront into Cowes, around the Royal Yacht Squadron and then along The Parade, where the coastal walk concludes and forces a right turn into Watch House Lane. From there turn left and follow the High Street through the pedestrianised area.

2. Opposite the entrance to the Red Funnel foot passenger terminal is The Pier View public house, passing which the walk continues along the High Street to The Anchor on your right.

That’s it, basically, but energetic walkers seeking a little more can simply double up with a pleasant walk back along the coast to Gurnard and the Woodvale, where one can enjoy a rewarding pint or walk down to the coast opposite to the seaside café which offers delicious local ice creams as well as teas, coffees and light snacks.

Park Resorts on IOW - Part Three: Thorness Bay

This is the jewel in the Park Resorts crown, the king of holiday parks where the Isle of Wight is concerned. As the largest of the four sites in the company's Isle of Wight portfolio, Thorness Bay Holiday Park is the place to be for holidaymakers who like to get involved in what is happening around the site.

Thorness Bay has all the touring, camping and holiday home ownership opportunities (caravans start at £14,495 and the site is now open all the year round), plus an extensive range of chalets and caravans of all grades, from the pleasant and comfortable to the luxury with every mod con.

The entertainment is out on its own. Like other Park Resorts venues the Sparky's Krew Club are always around to entertain the children, with a host of daytime and early evening activities. Later in the evening there is music, comedy, in-house cabaret and party dances - something for everybody as you enjoy excellent service from the spacious and well-stocked bar.

MULTI-PURPOSE SPORTS AREA

An adventure playground, archery, horse riding, an indoor pool with an imaginative themed water chute and a large multi-purpose sports area mean there is no shortage of things to do for the young and the not so young.

The on-site restaurant (with another bar!) provides breakfast in the morning and a varied menu throughout
the day. From the spacious balcony outside one can observe all the activity on the busy Solent and across the water around Southampton, or one can take a short walk down to and along the beach to see it all from closer still.

Throughout your stay it is possible to keep stocked up with supplies from the busy camp shop.

Thorness Bay is located near to Cowes, so it can be accessed with the minimum of inconvenience from the Red Funnel after arrival at East Cowes.

On selected dates a free ferry is available as part of an inclusive holiday deal.  Take advantage of the Early Booking Offer by organising your 2015 holiday before the 31st January, and get up to 30% off the published price. Click on the links here for further details.

Reproduced with acknowledgements to The Holiday Zone.

A winter's weekend at Gurnard Pines

We've just spent our first weekend at Gurnard Pines, on the north coast of the Island near Cowes.

A week before Christmas the weather was never going to be good, but as the snow began to fall over London we feared the worst. However we arrived on the Island to discover that the snow clearly hadn't, and it remained that way until we left. Indeed on the Saturday and Sunday the sun was shining and there was a distinctly summery feeling in spite of the crisp cold outside of our our well-heated pine cabin.

Unlike many of the sites at which we've stayed, Gurnard Pines majors on leisure rather than nightlife. It boasts an amazingly spacious and well-equipped gym and a large and (at time of year anyway) very uncrowded swimming pool. The ladies' changing rooms have been refurbished to the point of luxury, and I was told the men's will follow suit shortly. After a workout or a swim one can relax at The Brasserie, at which one can buy coffee, alcoholic beverages and some quite classy food.

We were fortunate to be allocated one of the pine lodges, which are modern, spacious and extremely comfortable. We noticed some more basic chalets on site, but no caravans.

For those who like to relax over a beer in the evening it means a short walk into town once The Brasserie closes at 9.00pm. We found a nice little free house called The Portland Inn, where on the Friday night a local two-piece band entertained.

Gurnard Pines enjoys a good reputation, and we left resolving to return and see what it is like in the warmer months.