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      • Blackgang Chine
      • The Needles and Alum Bay
      • Robin Hill
      • Osborne House
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      • 10 Quirky Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can't Do On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can Only Visit On The Isle Of Wight
      • Isle Of Wight TV & Movie Tour
      • 10 Reasons To Visit The Isle Of Wight
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      • 10 Isle of Wight Gardens And Parks
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      • 100 Isle of Wight Disasters, Discoveries and Weird News
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    • Which Is The Best Isle Of Wight Beach For...
    • Isle of Wight Beaches Interactive Map
    • Isle Of Wight Tide Times
    • Isle of Wight Weather Forecast
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    • Isle of Wight Watersports
    • The Beach Holiday Checklist - 5 Accessories
    • Mobile Version Of Isle Of Wight Best Beaches
  • Walking, Cycling & Golf Holidays
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      • Walking The Isle of Wight Coastal Path
      • 10 Best Isle of Wight Walks (Circular, 3-9 miles)
      • 10 Isle of Wight Short Walks For Children (1 Mile)
      • 10 Best Benches With A View
      • Isle of Wight Themed Walks
      • Isle of Wight Treasure Trails and Treasure Hunts
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      • Cycling Holidays On The Isle of Wight
      • Red Squirrel Trail (Family Cycle Track)
      • Tennyson Trail (Mountain Bike and Walking Route)
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  • Useful information
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      • FAQ
      • Which Mobile Phone Network Has The Best Signal On The Isle Of Wight?
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Isle of Wight Guru

Give the 'alternative bestival' a chance

25/3/2017

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Robin Hill playground
The African playground at Robin Hill
When Bestival booked itself onto the Isle of Wight ferry in 2016 and moved to Dorset, we got a little tearful.

Some of us realised we were getting older, others regretted taking it for granted. Others said they knew it was coming for years. 

Five minutes later a new festival at the same venue was announced - Eklectica at Robin Hill 

After the lineup and ticket price were announced this week there was the expected flurry of comments - some positive, some negative. The event will have four 'stages' or similar venues, with a mixture of cover bands, performance artists, dance music in the woods and an African-themed section. Day tickets are £35, two days are £65.

Some commenters seemed to be expecting a replacement Bestival, perhaps unhappy at the quirk of having Elton John and Stevie Wonder tribute acts on a site which once hosted the real thing. 

I think we need to be more realistic.

Inaugural years at festivals are a big financial gamble and are always going to be on a modest scale. The first Bestival in 2004 had a couple of decent headliners but it was small scale with only a few thousand turning up on the Friday and Sunday to see The Bees and Zero 7. Saturday was more popular thanks to Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx. It was helped along with the backing of a BBC Radio 1 DJ whereas this hasn't yet got the same clout.

The return of the Isle of Wight Festival in 2002 was similar. The main event was only one day (Rock Island), the headliners were OK (Charlatans, Robert Plant) and ticket sales were not great (according to Wikipedia it attracted about 8000 and had a capacity of 22,000 which sounds about right. Most people I knew got in free through various giveaways). I seem to remember it had local authority money to kick-start it and I'd be surprised if it made a profit. 

Bestival and the Isle of Wight Festival both picked up steam within a few years and turned into world class events with crowds of up 50,000 - 60,000 on some years. The Isle of Wight Festival is still going strong with Rod Stewart and Arcade Fire headlining this year. 

It might also not be the case that the organisers of Eklectica want to create another huge festival. Some of the Island's best festivals - V-Dub Island, Jack Up The 80s, Rhythmtree - are fairly small and they are affordable. Eklectica costs about one third of the Bestival ticket price (admittedly for fewer days) so it is more realistic to ask a family of four to come for the day.

Presumably the rest of Robin Hill will be open, so it is actually only £20 more than the normal cost of entrance to the park (sorry, this wasn't meant to turn into a sales pitch).

I think some of the negative comments are from those who weren't expecting cover bands at something called Eklectica. I can see their point - I was a bit surprised too - but the concept is clearly to combine main stage mainstream acts with artsy performers and other entertainment around the site. The venue is a children's adventure park so you'll have an Abba tribute act performing alongside a toboggan run whilst a DJ plays some tunes in a Japanese themed woodland. You'll be able to ride on a Time Machine and then watch mime artists or a 'speed painter' in an amphitheatre. I'd consider that more eclectic than most festivals.

My main point is this though - anyone willing to invest in a new event which could be ruined by bad weather, poor ticket sales or first-year teething problems deserves credit for taking the risk. Without encouragement and local support I'd say they will be less inclined to build it up to something big.

Let's hope we are talking about Eklectica's launch in 10 years' time.
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17 reasons you must visit the Isle of Wight in 2017

9/3/2017

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I recently wrote an article for Buzzfeed with the title of '16 reasons you must visit the Isle of Wight this summer'. Within 12 hours it had been deleted and my account removed. 

Initially I assumed there weren't enough cats or LOLs but it turns out it was too much of an advert for the Isle of Wight. To be fair, it was. 

Anyway, here's a very similar guide which I can happily host on my own blog. 

1. The sun will shine, because the Isle of Wight gets 500 hours a year more sunshine than London.

Good morning! How did you start your day? #Sunrise #Bembridge #IsleofWight #IsleofLight #PureIslandHappiness #OMGB @VisitBritain pic.twitter.com/317Q0P4zYb

— Isle Of Wight (@VisitIOW) 22 September 2016

2. Arcade Fire are playing here in June...

In case you've been under a rock all day! #IOW2017 Don't forget @arcadefire headline Saturday! pic.twitter.com/uUzwWtpq6d

— Isle of Wight Fest (@IsleOfWightFest) 7 November 2016

3. ...and so is David Guetta

i'm glad to co-headline the friday party at @IsleOfWightFest !
Tickets + accomodations are available here : https://t.co/kIKSOXaQOd pic.twitter.com/qAwaFEf5IX

— David Guetta (@davidguetta) 22 December 2016

4. We've also got festivals celebrating our love of garlic...

Yup. pic.twitter.com/TuuQ7m9ejE

— Matt and Cat (@MattandCat) 21 August 2016

5. ...and campervans...

Hello friends! We're almost ready to share our main Air-Cooled Stage line-up with you! The 2017 acts will be announced tomorrow at 5pm. pic.twitter.com/fP6QejnFJL

— V-Dub Island (@VDubIsland) 9 March 2017

6. ...and Jason Donovan.

A special message from the wonderful @JDonOfficial who will be performing 12 Aug 2017 @smallbrookstad Merry Christmas everyone! #IsleofWight pic.twitter.com/v9MsKXc9F2

— Jack Up The 80s (@JackUpThe80s) 25 December 2016

7. If you've got a yacht you can turn up your collar and join the world's largest yachting regatta...

Spinnaker finishes #cowesweek #sailing #spinnaker #summerseason pic.twitter.com/QSbfP4s84z

— Cowes Week (@cowes_week) 20 February 2017

8. ...or race around the Island with 1500 other yachts...

Enter our stunningly beautiful & challenging race 50nm westabout, starting & finishing in Cowes. 1 July. https://t.co/dSNxUwUxCJ #raceforall pic.twitter.com/ijCe5CtM4Z

— Round the Island (@RoundtheIsland) 23 February 2017

9. ...or play cricket in the Solent.

Very british... Solent. Cricket match played at low tide on exposed Bramble sandbank... pic.twitter.com/SDdwFbt7f2

— Stories about... (@veruschka1978) 10 April 2016

10. And whilst we don't have Bestival anymore, we do have a fringe festival in a Victorian seaside resort...

We have 'pop-up' venues and spaces of all shapes and sizes at the Ventnor Fringe. APPLY NOW https://t.co/ltevuJBYXA #vfringe17 pic.twitter.com/HHhFJKXnXb

— Ventnor Fringe (@vfringe) 23 February 2017

11. ...and there's a new festival in September on Bestival's former site.

Introducing @EklecticaFest 9th &10th Sep - A brand NEW boutique music festival with an eclectic twist! Find out more https://t.co/QJxBJebeYj pic.twitter.com/1mnHthFZ9r

— Robin Hill (@RobinHillIW) 28 February 2017

12. You can learn to surf...

Sunset surfing at Compton. @Wight_AONB @IOWSurfClub @Rapanuiclothing @IsleofWightGuru pic.twitter.com/GAy8GUvioF

— Beautiful Wight (@BeautifulWight) 16 April 2016

13. ...jump off a cliff...

Jump in and check out the hidden coastlines and caves of the #IsleofWight with our unique #Coasteering adventures! pic.twitter.com/C6ONLJqdCG

— Adventure Activities (@IOW_Activities) 9 August 2016

14... kayak into smuggler's caves...

Kayaking at Freshwater recently by Isle of Wight Adventure activities @IOW_Activities @FLifeboat @WestWightCott pic.twitter.com/YP0OqJPbIY

— Beautiful Wight (@BeautifulWight) 3 November 2015

15. ...or just have a cup of tea by the seaside

Lovely sunny day for a cup of tea at Compton on the #IsleofWight ! pic.twitter.com/71Oh75REVr

— Isle of Wight Guru (@IsleofWightGuru) 24 January 2015

16. There are loads of quirky places to stay...

I think our 1960s Airstream might be the cutest place I've ever stayed! @vintagehelen @VisitIOW @VisitEngland #OMGB pic.twitter.com/dTnIUG08SB

— Chloe Gunning (@WanderlustChloe) 13 July 2016

17. ...and it's only two hours from London

Expect #amazing #sunsets. #isleofwight is beautiful! Only a couple of hours from #london. pic.twitter.com/9TQW9nFI3u

— FortVictoriaCottages (@cottages_iow) 14 January 2017
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    Isle of Wight Guru's Blog

    Tales of Isle of Wight days out, attractions and ferry discounts from a Wightophile. This site uses cookies - see our privacy policy. Ads & links in bold may give us a small payment from the seller, at no cost to the buyer. However, this never affects our views - if we like it, we recommend it.

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​Best for me?
​Hotel summary
Time of year
​Town by town

Days out

Adults
Beaches
Bembridge
​Benches
Blackgang Chine
Carnivals
​Churches
​Cowes
​Cycling
Dinosaurs
​Disabled
Dog friendly
​Driving
Eight wonders
Families
Festivals
Golf
​Hidden
Historic
​IOW Festival
Needles
Newport
Osborne
​Playgrounds
​Quirky
​Rainy days
​Romantic
Ryde
​Shanklin
Stag-dos
Toddlers
Teenagers
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Toilets
Ventnor
​Viewpoints​
Watersports
Winter
​Yarmouth
​
Zoos
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Forecasts

Surf
Tides
​Weather

Saving money

Accommodation
​Attraction discounts
​
Big Book of Savings
​Blackgang
​Car hire
Ferry discount codes
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Foot passengers (Wightlink)
Foot passengers (Red Funnel)
Foot passengers (Hovercraft)
​Free attractions
​Free parking
Holiday park discounts
​Low income discounts
Multilink
Public transport
Residents' ferry fares
​Tesco Clubcard
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Eating out

​Allergies
​
Beach cafes
​Cheap pubs
​Food tour
Posh restaurants
Pub playgrounds
Seaside restaurants
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Walking

1 mile walks
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3-9 mile walks
Accessible
Coastal path
​Themed walks
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Treasure hunts
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Cycling

Cycling summary
Red Squirrel Trail (families)
Tennyson Trail (mountain bikes)
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Day Trips

From Lymington
From Portsmouth
From Southampton
From London​
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