insideKENT Magazine Issue 70 - January 2018 | Page 101

GETAWAYS START PLANNING YOUR FAMILY HOLIDAY IT’S JANUARY, SO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. NO, NOT WONDERING IF THERE ARE ANY LEFTOVERS STILL HANGING AROUND FROM CHRISTMAS, OR PERSUADING YOURSELF TO MAKE ROOM IN YOUR SCHEDULE FOR GYM VISITS (ALTHOUGH BOTH OF THESE HAVE LIKELY CROSSED YOUR MIND). JANUARY MEANS IT’S COLD, DULL, AND THAT YOU’VE DEFINITELY HAD ENOUGH OF WINTER. WITH THE PROMISE OF SPRING STILL A FEW MONTHS AWAY, JANUARY IS THE TIME WHEN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE START TO PLAN THEIR FAMILY SUMMER HOLIDAY, BUT WHERE WILL YOU GO THIS YEAR? WE’VE GOT SOME GREAT IDEAS IN THE UK, EUROPE, AND FURTHER AFIELD. The UK’s Best Family Resorts The UK isn’t always top of the list when it comes to planning your big summer getaway, which is a shame as there’s so much to do right here under your nose that negates the need for an arduous airport check in. Take a look at these amazing resorts. ISLE OF WIGHT You can’t help but get a holiday feeling when you board the ferry from Portsmouth and head across The Solent, the short stretch of water that links the UK’s mainland to the Isle of Wight. Children love the excitement of it, and adults still get a much-needed sense of escapism – it’s a proper start to a summer holiday. Isle of Wight Once there, the Isle of Wight offers oodles of things to do. The beaches are fantastic and the vast stretches of sandy coastline are perfect for paddling, castle building, rockpooling, and even fossil hunting. If you want to be active, the opportunities for long walks or cycle rides are seemingly endless, and you can stop off at some of the most interesting sights along the way such as Osborne House (Queen Victoria’s summer home), Carisbooke Castle, and the famous and really lovely eponymous donkey sanctuary. Add in a theme park: Blackgang Chine, and a funfair/historic site: The Needles, and you’ve got everything you need to keep everyone occupied. 101