Blackgang Chine, Isle of Wight | Socially Distanced Adventures with Kids

Sometimes the very best trips are the ones that you don’t plan properly. And that’s exactly how we ended up at Blackgang Chine when we visited the Isle of Wight last week. We actually hadn’t planned on visiting. We were going to have a quiet visit with lots of beach time. But with a toddler and a four year old we realised that actually we needed a little something more to keep them entertained.

Blackgang Chine is the Isle of Wights answer to a theme park, on the edge of the Island near Ventnor. It’s one of the most popular attractions in the area, partnered with Robin Hill Country Park, offering a range of entertainment for kids and a lot of nostalgia for adults.

Currently with Covid19, they are running a bookings only service, but don’t let that deter you. I booked our tickets the afternoon before we went and availability seemed fine.

We arrived just after lunch, after spending the morning at the beach, and I won’t lie, I was a little apprehensive that we’d made an expensive mistake (Blackgang Chine isn’t the cheapest, as £20 a head entry for over 4’s) as the car park was busy. Especiallyafter we’d ditched out on visiting Alum Bay the day before because the crowds were just too much.

But we were pleasantly surprised on entry. I think it may have been a slightly different situation that morning, but we went straight in with no queues, were temperature checked as we entered and our phone QR codes scanned for entry.

The staff were super friendly, and helpful too, guiding us directly to the dinosaurs for our jurassic obsessed children.

The dinosaur walk-through was relatively busy, but not so much that it made you anxious and everyone was very mindful of others. The boys loved the scale models, though the highlight was the dinosaurs you could climb and sit on. This little section also had sanitiser stations dotted around which was a real comfort.

The Underwater Kingdom was very popular with our kids, which again was a simple walk through, but gave them both the freedom to run around and as it doesn’t appear to be as popular as some of the other areas, was quite quiet in comparison. The scale model of a Blue Whale blew Henry’s mind.

Both kids loved the climbing frames and pirate ships to run around on with the pirate ship offering water cannons to shoot across the connected boats. It looked like most kids seemed to enjoy this, and as it has only one way on and off felt safer for our two whilst giving them the freedom to roam. Toilets are also available by the pirate boats, as well as food vendors, although these were closed when we were there.

Dann was particularly happy to see the Crooked House which has been on the site forever, and has moved inland 4 times due to the cliff erosion. According to Dann, it hasn’t changed since he was a child and visited Blackgang Chine at least 25 years ago, so he got all the nostalgia vibes, and Henry loved running around it with my phone as a torch.

The busier areas where the Cowboy Town and Fairy Castle. As these are free-play areas there were a lot of kids running around playing. The Cowboy Town mostly consists of a shop selling toy guns, and a Western Backdrop for the kids to run around and shoot each other (no bullets, the guns just make a popping noise). Great for slightly older kids and parents who want to have a sit down, but was a bit much for our family.

The Fairy Castle was equally busy, but a touch calmer, though we didn’t stay long.

As fair warning, the Snakes and Ladders play area has a height restriction, so under 4’s can’t really use it.

We did stop for some food at Chocabloc which was nice. It was a long queue, with several big orders ahead of us, and they ran out of toffee sauce just as we ordered (it was a hot day and around 3pm so not that surprising to be honest) but the staff were lovely, calm and friendly, and the food was good. Plus they are included in the Government Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, so a cone, two ice lollies and a waffle with ice cream cost just £5.It was also very welcome to see one member of staff dedicated to cleaning in and around the area, including wiping tables, whilst wearing a mask the whole time.

In fact, on the whole, I thought the social distancing and Covid19 measures in place were really good. There were a lot of hand sanitiser stations dotted around, including outside all attractions. Staff inside the shops were also all in masks too, and behind screens, and all gift shops requested visitors wear masks too. It could very easily have felt overwhelming, but it was a nice afternoon out and as the day went on it did get quieter. We left at 4:30pm and many areas were quieter.

We did miss the rides section of the Park, mostly because it’s just not really our thing, and our kids were likely too young/small anyway so I can’t comment on that area.

Also, as a note, if you can’t get to everything in one trip, Blackgang Chine offer free re-entry for seven days after your initial visit. You just need your confirmation QR code to be rescanned. Ideal if you’re visiting the Island for a week and want to visit in quieter hours towards the end of the day.

You can also purchase a joint ticket for Blackgang Chine and Robin Hill Country Park at a discounted rate so you can visit both attractions on the island.

For more information on visiting Blackgang Chine, including ticket booking, visit their website.

You can read all about our socially distanced adventures with kids here.