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  • Home
  • Why You Should Visit The Isle Of Wight
  • Ferry travel advice & discounts
    • Discount Isle of Wight Ferry Travel
    • Isle Of Wight Ferry Beginners Guide
    • Wightlink's Tesco Clubcard deal – is it the best discount?
    • Using Wightlink’s Multilink deal for cheap ferry travel
    • Cheap Isle of Wight Ferry Travel For Caravans
  • Holiday parks, hotels, camping & cottages
    • Family holiday parks & caravans >
      • 10 Of The Best Isle of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
      • Park Resorts And Parkdean Resorts Isle of Wight Holiday Parks
      • Which Isle Of Wight Holiday Park Should I Stay In?
      • Last Minute Deals And Discounts At Holiday Parks
      • Is There A Haven Holiday Park On The Isle Of Wight?
      • Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park Reviews and Facilities
      • Lower Hyde And Landguard Holiday Park Teview
      • 6 Tricks To Save Money At Isle Of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
    • Hotels & guest houses >
      • Isle of Wight Hotels - a beginner's guide
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Luxury Hotels
      • Warner's Bembridge Coast & Norton Grange hotels
      • 5 Best Isle of Wight Coach Tour Holidays And Trips
      • Isle of Wight Hotels With A Sea View
      • 5 Ventnor Hotels And Guest Houses
    • Spa Breaks & Romantic >
      • 3 Best Isle Of Wight Spa Break Hotels And Spa Days
      • Romantic Isle Of Wight Holidays For Couples
    • Camping & glamping >
      • 20 Isle Of Wight Camping And Touring Parks
      • Isle of Wight Glamping
    • Cottages & self catering >
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Shanklin
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Cowes
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Newport
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Sandown
      • 10 Isle Of Wight Wheelchair Accessible & Disabled Friendly Holidays
      • Brambles Chine And Linstone Chine Self Catering
      • 5 Isle Of Wight Holidays Including Ferry Travel
    • Lodges & hot tub holidays >
      • 5 Best Isle Of Wight Holiday Lodges
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Hot Tub Holidays
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Holidays With Swimming Pools
    • Quirky & AirBnbs >
      • 20 Quirky Places To Stay On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Best Isle of Wight Airbnb Holiday Homes
    • Group accommodation >
      • 10 Best Places To Stay For Large Groups
      • 8 Best Isle Of Wight Manor Houses For Hire
    • Accommodation advice >
      • What Time Of Year Should I Visit The Isle Of Wight?
      • Which Isle of Wight Town Should I Stay In?
      • Where Is The Cheapest Place To Stay?
  • Festivals, days out & attractions
    • Festivals & carnivals >
      • Major Festivals And Carnivals
      • Isle of Wight Festival 2022 Lineup And Tickets
      • 10 Unforgettable Isle of Wight Festival Moments
      • Isle of Wight Festival History
      • Cowes Week - Attractions And Accommodation
    • Free days out & attraction discounts >
      • Free Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
      • Discounts To Isle Of Wight Attractions
      • Itinerary For A Budget Isle of Wight Holiday
      • 10 Ways To Save Money On Isle Of Wight Holidays
    • Attractions for children, teenagers, adults >
      • Activities For Toddlers On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Children And Families On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Teenagers On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Adults On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For An Isle Of Wight Stag Do
      • Surviving An Isle Of Wight Holiday With A Toddler
    • Quirky days out >
      • 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
    • Days out in Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor >
      • 10 Things To Do In Bembridge, St Helen's and Seaview
      • 10 Things To Do In Cowes And East Cowes
      • 10 Things To Do In Newport and Carisbrooke
      • 15 Things To Do In Ryde
      • 15 Things To Do In Shanklin And Sandown
      • 15 Things To Do In Ventnor And South Wight
      • 15 Things To Do In Yarmouth And West Wight
    • Rainy day & winter attractions >
      • Rainy Day Activities On The Isle Of Wight
      • Itinerary For A Rainy Isle Of Wight Holiday
      • Winter Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
    • Zoos, historic attractions, gardens >
      • Isle of Wight Zoos And Animal Attractions
      • Historic Attractions On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Isle of Wight Gardens And Parks
    • Day trip itineraries >
      • Day Trips From Portsmouth To The Isle of Wight
      • Day Trips From Southampton To The Isle of Wight
      • Day Trips From Lymington To The Isle of Wight
    • Car journey games & viewpoints >
      • 5 Isle Of Wight Car Journey Games
      • 15 Best Isle Of Wight Car Park Viewpoints
      • The Isle Spy Car Journey Game
  • Beaches, tides, watersports & weather
    • 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
    • Isle Of Wight Surf Forecast
    • Isle of Wight Watersports
    • The Beach Holiday Checklist - 5 Accessories
    • Mobile Version Of Isle Of Wight Best Beaches
  • Walking, cycling & public transport
    • Walking >
      • 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)
      • Isle of Wight Themed Walks
      • Isle of Wight Treasure Trails and Treasure Hunts
    • Cycling Holidays On The Isle of Wight
    • Public Transport
    • Isle Of Wight Car Hire
  • Dog friendly
    • Dog Friendly Isle of Wight Accommodation
    • Dog Friendly Isle Of Wight Holidays
  • Food & drink
    • Eating Out On A Budget
    • Pubs And Restaurants With A Sea View
    • Family Friendly Pubs With Playgrounds
    • Isle Of Wight Supermarkets
  • Useful information
    • Boring & practical stuff >
      • FAQ
      • Which Mobile Phone Network Has The Best Signal On The Isle Of Wight?
      • Cheap Parcel Delivery And Sending Mail To The Isle Of Wight
      • Isle of Wight Map
      • Isle of Wight Newspapers, News Websites And Radio Stations
    • Souvenirs
    • Should I Move To The Isle Of Wight?
    • Les Vacances Sur L’île De Wight
  • About
    • Contact Us/About/Disclaimer
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Isle of Wight Guru

A not-very-interesting history of Isle of Wight websites

14/7/2019

0 Comments

 
Before we get started, I'd like to make it clear that this week's/month's blog will be of interest to a very small audience.

During a spare 10 minutes when I should have been doing something more useful - like clearing out the guttering - I went on a journey through time to the Isle of Wight in the 1990s. Some would argue that the Isle of Wight of 2019 is pretty similar to the Isle of Wight of 1998 but such people clearly haven't trawled through ferry websites or been to Asda in Newport.

For those interested in such things, we can gaze in wonder at the terrible graphics thanks to the Wayback Machine which is a glorious archive of how the world wide web looked in its early days.

Let's start back in 1998 at the Red Funnel homepage:
Red Funnel homepage from 1998
My questions from this gem include:
  • Why is there a creepy clown's face emerging between the passenger ferry and the Isle of Wight image in the banner? 
  • What does 'Cruise the net. Jet the net' mean? I reckon it's related to the 1990s expression to 'surf the net' as in 'sorry guys, I can't watch Saved By The Bell with you because I'm going to surf the net at the Internet C@fe whilst listening to Be Here Now on my Discman'.
  • Why does Mark Clark deserve a homepage mention under the 'Help others save £££'s' for pointing out that you can save money with a Rover Bus Ticket. We point out these blindingly obvious tips too, and we don't get a name check on Red Funnel's homepage for it. Is it because my name doesn't rhyme?

Meanwhile, here's what Wightlink were up to in 1998:
Wightlink homepage from 1998
Of course, you'll have noticed from the headline that Wightlink were predicting the rise of Derek Sandy and his smash hit 'Welcome to the Isle of Wight'. 
Also note that dinosaur digs were worthy of about one third of the homepage. Was this thanks to the Jurassic Park sequels? Or was it because the dinosaurs had only recently died out in 1998? We shall never know.

I continued my time wasting by clicking the link to 'children's pages' on the Wightlink homepage (below). It doesn't specify a closing date, so I plan to print off a picture of Our Lady Pamela and get the kids to colour it in.

When I hand it in to the ticket office I'll just say 'sorry for the 21-year delay, I was waiting for the kids to be born'.
Wightlink homepage 1998
Next up is Hovertravel, which had the word 2000 written on their homepage, despite it being December 1998 according to Wayback Machine. Perhaps it was just a reminder that armageddon was not far away thanks to the Millennium Bug.
Hovertravel website from 1998
It seems to me that there was a pleasant simplicity and politeness to the World Wide Web in those days with phrases such as 'We are pleased to introduce' from Hovertravel and patient explanations from Wightlink about how to navigate the site (since no-one really knew what they were doing). Red Funnel meanwhile said they 'would be happy' to add a link to any 'great Island website' in a way which suggests that there were only about 11 people online in 1998 (which is almost true - honestly kids, you could actually buy paper books which were just lists of useful websites). 

Next up, we'll take a look at the first website for the Isle of Wight Festival which appeared in 2002. From the pictures, this archive looks to be from around July or August 2002, shortly after Rock Island.
Isle of Wight festival website 2002
I don't think I'm risking controversy in saying that the festival's graphic design work has improved a wee bit in 17 years.

The two day festival was only £40 if you lived on the Island and bought it long enough in advance. Although, as I've said before, I still think the Isle of Wight Festival is good value compared to most festivals (the early bird Islander ticket was £115 for four days for 2020, and the modern festival doesn't really compare on scale).

Finally, I treated myself to a bit of self indulgence by looking for the first version of Isle of Wight Guru.

​Honestly, I wish I hadn't bothered.
First Isle of Wight Guru website
I'm certainly not going to claim that our current design is the world's greatest...but our first attempt was a Grade A stinker. And it wasn't 1998 either, it was 2013.

​Sorry guys.
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Balls galore at MOnkey Madness Soft Play at Amazon World

4/7/2019

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I'm pretty sure 'soft play areas' didn't exist when I was a child.

Don't worry, I'm not going to start a tabloid columnist's rant about the nanny state, I just don't think anyone had thought of opening one when I would have been the target audience. 

Either that or my parents couldn't bear the thought of spending Saturday in a ball pool and made efforts to avoid them.

Nowadays, we find them to be a very welcome shelter on a wet day. It's certainly preferable to spending an entire holiday completing a jigsaw puzzle in a caravan whilst raindrops race down the window.

We recently tried out the Isle of Wight's newest soft play area, which is called Monkey Madness and which opened at Amazon World earlier this year. It's part of the same company but it operates as a separate attraction to the zoo, so you pay for each one individually. 

There seems to be two different approaches to pricing at soft play areas. The first option is that you charge a modest amount for everyone, regardless of age. Parents end up paying a few quid to drink coffee and stare at their phones, whilst children get great value for their ticket.

The second option - which is the one chosen by Monkey Madness - is that you don't charge the parents much (£1) and you cover your costs by charging the kids more (£7.50 for 4-14, £4 for 1-3s at the time of writing). 

Most of the time it averages out about the same, but you do end up with winners and losers. A friend who had visited Monkey Madness before us remarked that they thought it was expensive for her and the four children she had brought along (£31 by my reckoning). However, we concluded that it was a bit of a bargain for us with three adults, a six year old and a two year old (£14.50). 

We found a table and passive aggressively marked our territory by dumping our selection of bags and drinks bottle. 

Our younger one is still in need of a little assistance at these places, so I enthusiastically offered to follow her round. I shall be a little saddened in a few months' time when I'm no longer needed to provide such duties. On the plus side, I shall be able to go back to having the occasional uninterrupted conversation with Mrs Guru.

The signage provided a little confusion, since one list of instructions insisted that parents supervise children at all times, whilst another begrudgingly accepted that parents might need to go on the play area with younger children but that they should definitely stay out of the ball pool. 

Nonetheless, we spent a very happy couple of hours exploring the play area which is a really good size and with lots of carefully thought out things to climb over and slide down. I pretended that I wasn't enjoying myself too much and tried to keep up with the younger one whilst admiring the various animals which decorate the play area. The six year old needed no encouragement to race around until she was bright red and eventually realised she might like a drink. 

It was also exceedingly clean, which is a real blessing compared to some of the plasters-and-empty-crisp-packet experiences we've had on that mainland. 

I didn't get the tape measure out, but I reckon it is probably the biggest soft play area on the Isle of Wight (comment below if you think otherwise). Tapnell Farm's indoor area is bigger as a whole, but the soft play bit isn't quite as big. The play areas on Sandown Pier, Shanklin Esplanade and at JR Zone in Newport are all good sizes but Monkey Madness gives them a good run for their money on scale. It certainly felt spacious and able to accommodate a good number of people without becoming unbearably noisy. Jungle Jim's in Shanklin is cheaper but the low ceilings make it feel a bit cosy when it's busy (see our toddlers guide for more ideas for days out with the naps-and-nappies brigade).

There are still a couple of things which - I think I'm right in saying - are being worked on at Monkey Madness. The toilets at the time were a walk away in the Amazon World Cafe, which would be a faff if you were a lone parent looking after several children. The cafe was nice enough but wasn't quite the latte-and-macchiato experience that parents expect nowadays - the milk was that long life stuff which comes in irritating little plastic pots which don't contain enough liquid to drown a fly.

Still, a definite thumbs up for Monkey Madness which is another decent time filler on an Isle of Wight rainy day. And it's also great to see another Isle of Wight attraction continuing to invest, rather than assuming that people will keep coming back to the same thing year after year.

Don't forget to bring your socks, and keep out of the ball pool please, Dads.
Ball pool at Monkey Madness Isle of Wight
The forbidden balls
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