Isle of Wight Guru
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      • Which Isle Of Wight Holiday Park Should I Stay In?
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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
    • 7 Isle Of Wight Holidays Including Ferry Travel
    • Wightlink's Tesco Clubcard deal
    • Wightlink’s Multilink deal for regular travel
    • Wightlink Foot Passenger Fares - Money Saving Tips
    • Cheap Red Funnel Foot Passenger Fares
    • Cheap Isle of Wight Ferry Travel For Caravans
    • London to Isle of Wight – Quickest + Cheapest Route
    • Saving money on the Hovertravel Hovercraft
  • Holiday parks, hotels, camping & cottages
    • Family holiday parks & caravans >
      • 10 Of The Best Isle of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
      • Parkdean Resorts Isle of Wight Holiday Parks (formerly Park Resorts)
      • 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 Review
      • Nodes Point Holiday Park Review
      • 6 Tricks To Save Money At Isle Of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
    • Accommodation advice >
      • Where’s The Best Place To Stay For...?
      • 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?
      • Is Christmas A Good Time To Visit The Isle of Wight?
    • 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
      • 5 Best Ryde Hotels
    • 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
      • Cheap Camping, Touring + Motorhome Holidays
    • Best in Cowes, Newport, Sandown, Shanklin >
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Cowes
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Newport
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Sandown
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Shanklin
    • Cottages & self catering >
      • Holiday Cottages With A Sea View
      • Brambles Chine And Linstone Chine Self Catering
      • 5 Best National Trust Isle of Wight Holiday Cottages
      • Bayclose - Our Holiday Apartment In Freshwater Bay
    • Lodges, Hot Tub & Swimming Pool Holidays >
      • 8 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
      • 9 Best Isle of Wight Airbnb Holiday Homes
    • Group accommodation >
      • 10 Best Places To Stay For Large Groups
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Manor Houses For Hire
  • Festivals, days out & attractions
    • Attractions for adults & stag dos >
      • Activities For Adults On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For An Isle Of Wight Stag Do
    • Attractions for children, teenagers, toddlers >
      • 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
      • 6 Best Isle of Wight Playgrounds
      • Surviving An Isle Of Wight Holiday With A Toddler
    • 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
      • 12 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
      • 20 Things To Do In Yarmouth And West Wight
    • Festivals & carnivals >
      • Major Festivals And Carnivals
      • Isle of Wight Festival 2025 Lineup And Tickets
      • 10 Unforgettable Isle of Wight Festival Moments
      • Isle of Wight Festival History
      • Isle of Wight Carnivals
      • 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
    • Guides To Popular Attractions >
      • Blackgang Chine
      • The Needles and Alum Bay
      • Robin Hill
      • Osborne House
    • 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
      • 5 Isle Of Wight Attractions You Haven't Visited
      • 8 Wonders of the Isle of 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, dinosaurs >
      • Isle of Wight Zoos And Animal Attractions
      • Historic Attractions On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Isle of Wight Gardens And Parks
      • 5 Isle of Wight Dinosaur Attractions
      • 100 Isle of Wight Disasters, Discoveries and Weird News
  • Day trips
    • 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
  • 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 & Golf Holidays
    • 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)
      • 10 Best Benches With A View
      • Isle of Wight Themed Walks
      • Isle of Wight Treasure Trails and Treasure Hunts
    • Cycling >
      • Cycling Holidays On The Isle of Wight
      • Red Squirrel Trail (Family Cycle Track)
      • Tennyson Trail (Mountain Bike and Walking Route)
    • 4 Best Isle of Wight Golf Courses
  • Public transport & driving
    • Public Transport
    • Isle Of Wight Car Hire
    • Wighty 90 Driving Route
    • 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
  • Dog friendly
    • Dog Friendly Isle of Wight Accommodation
    • Dog Friendly Isle Of Wight Holidays
  • Disabled Holidays
    • Wheelchair Accessible Accommodation
    • Accessible Ferry Travel, Beaches and Days Out
  • Food & drink
    • Eating Out On A Budget
    • Pubs And Restaurants With A Sea View
    • Family Friendly Pubs With Playgrounds
    • Isle Of Wight Supermarkets
    • Isle of Wight Food and Drink Tour
    • Isle of Wight Beach Cafes With A Sea View
    • Posh Restaurants on the Isle of Wight
  • 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?
  • About
    • Contact Us/About/Disclaimer
    • Who Is The Isle Of Wight Guru?
    • Isle of Wight Copywriter
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  • Blog
  • Français, Deutsch & Nederlands
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Isle of Wight Guru

Putting on a show at Dino Islands mini golf at Sandham Gardens

27/10/2019

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Dinosaur at Dinos Islands golf
Would you mind scratching the back of my neck? These little arms won't stretch
I've got to admit, I'm not a fan of Halloween. 

Perhaps I'm missing the point, but there seems to be enough real stuff in the world to give children nightmares without making up a load of stuff. Plus there's the plastic tat which fills the supermarkets and the splurge of annoying marketing emails which say things like "No tricks, just treats for our loyal customers this Halloween!". 

No, if I want some good wholesome family fun in Autumn I'd much rather celebrate the death of a failed bombing by setting fire to some explosives on November 5th.

And so, it was with some unease that I arrived at Dino Islands mini golf course at Sandham Gardens which had been given a Halloween twist.

I quickly got over the zombies and spiders when I realised they were running a half price deal for half term. It's usually about £6 a person, but we paid £9 for four of us, including a non-playing two year old who was wheeled around the course in the (golf) buggy. The friendly staff informed us that the whole course had been designed for pushchairs, which turned out to be a very wise move. When we've attempted to push child two round other courses, it has usually involved lifting the pushchair over a windmill. 

The Sandham Gardens site previously had a much simpler minigolf course before big redevelopment and investment plans began. There are Sky Nets and beach huts coming soon (Easter 2020 hopefully), to add to the playground, go kart tracks and skate park which are already at the site. Once the nets are in place, you'll be able to fill several hours around the beach and Sandham Gardens. It's also home to The Bandstand restaurant which is in our list of places to eat with a sea view.
Minigolf hole at Dino Islands Sandown
This narrow bridge was one of my favourites
The whole site looks very impressive, which you'd expect considering that half a million pounds was spent on it. There are a couple of volcanoes which puff out smoke, as well as a large moving dinosaur and lots of models. 
​
Curiously, it does now mean that there are three dinosaur themed minigolf courses on the Isle of Wight including an 18 hole course on Shanklin esplanade (which costs a similar price) and a smaller course at The Needles Pleasure Park. It does make for a great theme, which fits nicely with the Island's history.

Back in the 90s, we used to play a game called 3D Ultra Minigolf which had 18 holes, each with its own theme including the moon landings, the wild west and the seaside. If I ever decide to build my own minigolf course (which is fairly unlikely admittedly) then I'll be following their lead or perhaps making a global tour golf course which involves putting your ball through a French baguette or over a Mexican wall.

The Dino Islands course itself was tricky enough to keep us all entertained, though I would say it has been designed to be family friendly without too many holes which had us tutting in frustration. I averaged about three shots per hole.

The best holes are ones which involve firing the ball over a narrow bridge or one where you have to avoid a hole which sends your ball back to the start. Most importantly, child one achieved a hole in one which she has since mentioned on an hourly basis. 


And so, we came to the final scores which thankfully resulted in child one being victorious. This was helped along by the Isle of Wight Guru Argument Avoiding Minigolf Handicap System (IOWGAAMHS), whereby each player adds on their age to their final score. With a bit of luck it results in the youngest player winning every time, without parents having to deliberately take 26 shots on the final hole to even things up.
Volcano in Sandown
You'll have a lava at Sandown's new golf course
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8 ways to avoid the £485 Isle of Wight ferry fare with a caravan

11/10/2019

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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.
**Wightlink's latest deals: Kids Go Free during holidays + Afternoon return for £15.60 + Car ferry offers**
Caravans
Do caravans offer a cheap Isle of Wight holiday?
I’ve recently spent many happy hours updating our price comparisons.

That may sound as interesting as your Grandmother’s pressed flower collection, but luckily I find there’s much fascination in seeing how prices for holiday accommodation and ferries varies wildly depending on when you want to travel.

My feeling is that back in the day, fares and ticket prices didn’t fluctuate so wildly. Train fares were simpler, most B&Bs had one or two rates and the Isle of Wight ferries only had modest variations in their pricing (feel free to comment below if you disagree).

Accommodation prices certainly went up during school holidays but the algorithms are now in charge and are trying to persuade us to visit off peak.

The result is double-edged.

On the one hand, there are absolute bargains to be had – and no-one ever complains about those. Take a look at the price of a bundled hotel and ferry deal in the middle of winter for some examples.

On the other hand, you get occasional quirks in the algorithms which are enough to make your eyes water.

For example, whilst updating our guide to cheap ferry travel for caravan owners we found this Wightlink return fare for £485.  
Wightlink ferry fare
For comparison, the peak Red Funnel fare was £355. 

Rather than huffing, puffing and complaining at something a computer spewed out, I felt it might be more useful to offer 8 ways that you can avoid fares like this.

1. Get an accommodation and ferry bundle

Counter-intuitively, going direct to the ferry companies is rarely the cheapest option for a caravan holiday. Many of the Isle of Wight’s camping and touring parks have trade rates agreed with Red Funnel and Wightlink which they pass on to you.

For example, last year we did a price comparison and found that Away Resorts would charge me £149 to take a caravan on the ferry to stay at Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park whilst Wightlink were charging £271 if I got it from them direct.

We’ve got a guide to the camping and touring parks on the Isle of Wight if you’re deciding where to stay.
Whitecliff Bay
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park is one of many which offers a ferry bundle deal

2. Travel when everyone else is asleep

The computers which decide how much to charge you are very keen to fill up the mostly-empty ferries in the middle of the night.

Admittedly, it’s not a very practical option for a family with young children but the saving can be massive during the school holidays.

In our price comparison, travelling in the middle of day in August 2020 with a caravan cost £344 with Wightlink whilst travelling in the middle of the night was £149 – nearly £200 difference.

Of course, the challenge is what you’re supposed to do when you arrive on the Isle of Wight at 4am. Perhaps watch the sun rise at the beach?

3. Join the Camping and Caravanning Club

Wightlink offer a 20% discount to Camping and Caravanning Club Members. When I checked, membership is £40 but in our price comparison we found it often pays for itself with one booking. You need to book through this link once you’ve got your membership.

There are also discounts for motorhomes with the same membership.

4. Wait for a discount code

This one’s a bit of a gamble.

Generally, the ferry companies advise to book early to get the best prices (you'll see offers such as 'book 2020 at 2019 prices'). Their pricing systems put the prices up as the ferry fills up, much like a budget airline.

However, discount codes sometimes turn up for both Red Funnel and Wightlink which can lower the price considerably.

You can get 10% off Red Funnel with our booking widget, but Red Funnel discount codes of 20% or 25% have become more regular in the last couple of years. The best discount I ever saw was around Black Friday a couple of years ago when it was 50% off, although I think that was a car only deal and only certain dates.

Shareable Wightlink car ferry codes haven’t been quite so regular of late, but they have started giving out decent discounts via their MyLink loyalty scheme which is free to join.

A note of caution though before you get too excited – some of the discount codes are just for cars so won’t give you a discount with a caravan.

5. Decide whether you need the upgrades

Our £485 fare was for a ‘standard’ Wightlink fare rather than the ‘economy’ fare which would have been £29 cheaper. The main difference is to do with the cancellation policy – you can’t get your money back with the ‘economy’ option, but you can make amendments for free online.

6. Buy a smaller caravan

Small caravan
Small caravans are a great way to decide which member of your family is most annoying
Ahem, I’ll admit this advice is as much use an inflatable dartboard if you already own a caravan.

I thought I’d mention this for anyone who is about to buy a caravan for regular Isle of Wight holidays. The price creeps up for every extra few centimetres, so it might be a factor worth considering.

For example, we found that an August 2020 Saturday return crossing with Red Funnel was £285 for a 5.5 metre long caravan or £325 for a 6.5 metre long caravan (£40 extra).

7. Use Tesco Clubcard vouchers

One of the best discounts available is the deal Wightlink has with Tesco Clubcard, which can be used with caravan bookings (last time I checked, October 2019).

Every £2.50 in Clubcard vouchers is worth £7.50 in ferry travel, so (for those who don't do maths) £50 in vouchers would be worth £150 in ferry travel. 

8. Check fares with Wightlink and Red Funnel

Despite that £485 fare shown above, it isn't fair to say that either Red Funnel or Wightlink is always cheaper for caravan journeys to the Isle of Wight. 

​In our price comparison, Red Funnel was £60 cheaper during the day for a return crossing in August 2020 whilst Wightlink was a whooping £90 cheaper for a night time crossing on the same day.
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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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Hot tubs
Last minute
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Romantic
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Sea views (cottages)
Spa breaks​
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where to stay (popular chains)

​Away Resorts
​Parkdean Resorts
Premier Inn
​Warner Hotels
​

Where to stay (location)

​Cowes
​Newport
​Sandown
Shanklin
Ryde
Ventnor
​

Where to stay (advice)

​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
​
Toilets
Ventnor
​Viewpoints​
Watersports
Winter
​Yarmouth
​
Zoos
​

Forecasts

Surf
Tides
​Weather

Saving money

Accommodation
​Attraction discounts
​
Big Book of Savings
​Blackgang
​Car hire
Ferry discount codes
​
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
​

Eating out

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

Walking

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

Cycling

Cycling summary
Red Squirrel Trail (families)
Tennyson Trail (mountain bikes)
​

Day Trips

From Lymington
From Portsmouth
From Southampton
From London​
​

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