ANOTHER ISLAND GEM (UK & Eire in general)

Member Name: junkboxjules

Product:	UK & Eire in general
Date:	10/08/02 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to do in one place, You can chose which attractions you want to visit, Scenic views

Disadvantages: Cliff lift or long walk to beach not suitable for everybody, Car park charge is quite expensive

If you have read my opinions on Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park, Blackgang Chine and Robin Hill Country Park then you will already know that my family and I are great lovers of the beautiful Isle of Wight. There are many reasons why we are attracted to the Island but some of the main reasons why we keep returning are because the Island is a very beautiful place and one of the few places in England today that remains unspoilt and has not become overdeveloped, there is still a vast amount of breathtaking scenery to enjoy and lots of coastal footpaths and other walks taking you further inland if you wish. Having said that the Isle of Wight is also home to a huge amount of tourist attractions including The Needles Park which is the subject of this opinion.

The Needles Park is located in West Wight, the park itself is home to several tourist attractions including Alum Bay Glass, it is a great place to visit and there is something here to appeal to all ages. Admission to the Park itself is free, you pay to park, currently £3.00 for the day, other than the car parking charges you only pay for the attractions you are interested in, if you are interested in visiting most of the attractions you would probably be better off buying a Supersaver Attractions Ticket, this allows you to visit most of the attractions at a discounted price to what you would pay to visit them individually. There is a shop which provides details of the attractions included and the cost of the Supersaver Ticket. The Park is on the bus route and there is are frequent busses serving the park during the high season. Detailed below is a brief outline of the attractions on offer.

**Alum Bay Glass**

The workshop for Alum Bay Glass is situated at The Needles Park. There is a small admission charge to enter the workshop, currently about £1 I think. It is well worth spending a £1 to visit the workshop, there is usually a demonstration already going on when you arrive, but don't be put
off as within a few minutes of the current demonstration finishing they will start over again from the beginning. The demonstration takes you through a step by step account of how they make the highly desirable glass vases etc, it is very educational and very interesting to watch these fantastic craftsmen at work. You can stay in the workshop for as long as you like, although it does get very hot because of the furnaces which are constantly working. Once you have seen enough of the demonstration the exit takes you into the Alum Bay Glass shop where there is a wide selection of beautiful Alum Bay Glass available to purchase. The price of the items vary depending on what you are buying, the shop stocks lots of items and many are priced to suit all budgets. There is also normally a shelf with seconds on it which are sold at a fraction of the 1st quality items. I've found it difficult to establish why the items are seconds sometimes as to the untrained eye they are aesthetically perfect.

**Sweet Manufactory**

This is a relatively new attraction to the Park. The sweet factory holds regular demonstrations, which take you through the process of making the sweets. I have only visited this area once but found it extremely interesting, however as the demonstrations are only available at set times they do get very busy and we found it quite difficult to see what was going on. There is an admission charge to watch the demonstration, I can't remember how much it is but it is not expensive. After the demonstration you are offered a sweet to sample before being led out conveniently through the sweet shop. Most of the sweets sold in the shop are made by the sweet company themselves and are not widely available anywhere else.

**The Sand Shop**

Alum Bay is famous for its' multicoloured sandstone cliffs. The sand shop allows you to purchase an transparent empty container, for example a map of the Isle of Wight, and then fill it with t
he different coloured sands. There are plenty of areas in the shop where you can go to fill the container and each area has several different coloured sands on offer ranging from a very pale biscuit colour through to a brick red coloured sand. There are little scoops which you use to fill your container. Once your container is filled to the top you take it to one of the many members of staff, they will then seal it for you so that you can take it home there and then. This is a great attraction for all ages. especially children as they have got a nice souvenir to take home and they can proudly inform their friends that they made it. The prices for the empty containers vary depending on size but I believe that they start at about £2-£3.

** The Fun Fair**

The fun fair isn't a huge area and only has a few rides, these include the old fashioned carousel horse ride, a small roller coaster and a simulator ride. Again, you only pay if you wish to go on the rides.

**Crazy Golf**

There is a small crazy golf area which is quite fun to do, the obstacles are all based around places on the Isle of Wight. There is a small charge to play crazy golf.

**The Chairlifts**

The chairlifts take you down to the beach. This is not the only way down, there are steps down, but be warned it is a long way down and once you get to the bottom eventually you have to come back up. There is a small charge for the chairlifts but in my experience it is well worth paying as it is very hard work walking back up from the beach to the top.

**The Beach**

The beach is sheltered by multicoloured sandstone cliffs, it is partly sandy and partly stoney. Regular boat trips run from the beach to The Needles and again there is a separate charge if you wish to go on the boat trip. It is well worth going on the boat trip as it does actually take you right out to The Needles, you can also see St Catherine's Lighthouse and The Needles O
ld Battery. The Needles Old Battery is a coastal fort which is built 250 ft above the sea, it was built in 1862 and was originally built to prevent French invasion. It is now owned by the National Trust.

**Eating and Drinking**

The park does have a cafe and other food outlets, we have found that the cafe is quite expensive so we tend to take a picnic. There is a gift shop where drinks and sweets etc can be purchased and ice cream kiosks too.

**Other Attractions**

Every Thursday throughout August the Park stays open late and, weather permitting, hosts a firework display.

**Opening Times**

The park is open daily from 10am - 5pm from Easter to early November, the hours are extended in the high season and every Thursday throughout August the park stays open later still for the firework display.

**Summary**

The Needles Park is a great place to visit, however it is worth bearing in mind that despite offering free admission to the park it is very easy to spend quite a lot of money here by the time you have paid to visit the various attractions. If you wish to visit most of the attractions the Supersaver Ticket would be a better choice.

Thank you for reading.

Julie

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