Watch out for PLUTO while you're here (Shanklin (Isle of Wight))

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	Shanklin (Isle of Wight)
Date:	19/11/07 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely scenery, old town is beautiful

Disadvantages: No promenade to walk along

I do love the Isle of Wight although I have only managed to visit the place three times! I did a general opinion about the place years ago giving a virtual tour of the island, but I thought I’d have a go at reviewing one of my favourite towns on the island and that’s Shanklin.

My first holiday on the Isle of Wight was taken with my now ex husband, which would be enough to cloud anyone’s judgment of a place! His idea of a holiday was just shouting at me by the sea instead of at home, but that’s another story!

I had got all the Isle of Wight guidebooks and had a look and Shanklin looked like a nice place to visit so Shanklin it was.

My first impression wasn’t too good I’m afraid. The hotel was lovely, although I can’t remember the name of it, but the town wasn’t as I imagined it at all. If you know Shanklin at all you will realise at this point that we were staying in the ‘newer’ part of town and that we hadn’t yet found Shanklin Old Village!

So let me tell you about it.

Shanklin is situated between Sandown and Ventnor on the south coast of the island and is quite a small, quiet resort, but then we never were ones for loud nightclubs so that suited us.

In the main part of town there is a decent selection of mainly small shops, with a few of the high street stores such as Woolworth’s and Boots, a good selection of cafes and representatives of the high street banks.

It will take you about a quarter of an hour to walk from the town down to the beach, which is at the bottom of the cliff. You can either walk down slopes or steps or you can take the cliff lift, bus or road train (in the summer) if you’re not feeling too energetic.

During the high season the cliff lift is open until around 10pm and really is invaluable when you’re coming back to town from the beach. The paths down the cliffs are beautiful when you’re walking down but they are a hard slog walking back up I can tell you!

The beach itself is good once you get there are there is plenty of car parking along the front, but if it is a beach holiday you’re looking for I would suggest that Sandown is probably a better place to stay, as it’s a more traditional resort with a wide sweeping bay and lots of sand.

The part of Shanklin that I really fell in love with is Shanklin Old Village, which is about five minutes walk out of the main town.

This part of Shanklin is a beautiful, quaint area of thatched cottages, pretty gift shops, teashops and The Crab Inn (also thatched), which has recently been used as the model for a cottage by Lilliput Lane.

The other big attraction here is Shanklin Chine, once a well-hidden landing place for smugglers now a tourist attraction boasting lots of rare plants and an impressive waterfall.

You can walk from the top of the Chine, which is just next to The Crab Inn down to the beach below (or the other way round obviously!) and I recommend that you do this at least once during your visit. It really is well worth it. It is open from March until November each year and is open until 10pm during the summer when the whole thing is floodlight after dark and it is nothing short of magical.

During the war the Chine was used as an assault course the Commandos who had their HQ at Upper Chine School – a plaque to their memory was dedicated on 6th June 1984 being the 40th anniversary of D Day.

PLUTO also ran through the Chine and how many of you know what that stands for then? It’s Pipe Line Under The Ocean and during the Normandy invasion of 1944 it carried 56,000 gallons of petrol a day 65miles under the English Channel to Cherbourg to the Allies. 65 yards of the pipeline still remain and a cross section can be seen in the Heritage Centre in the Pluto display room.

A visit to the Chine will cost you about £3.50 for adults, £2.50 for OAPs and students and £2.00 for children, but believe me you won’t be disappointed. Incidentally there are discounts for families and larger groups.

Near to the Chine there is also a lovely park called Rylstone Gardens, with a bandstand, tearoom and lots of space for a picnic!

In conclusion I would say the Shanklin is an ideal resort for couples and families with children who don’t mind walking! I loved the Old Village, but I have to confess I do love to walk along a traditional seafront too so I was happier when we stayed in Sandown and visited Shanklin for day trips.

Summary: A great place if you don't mind plenty of walking