Dodo Valley

Dodo Valley is a theme park on the Isle of Wight near Ventnor, though honestly, it's more of a quirky family attraction than a full-blown theme park. You're looking at rides, games, and attractions geared squarely at younger kids - think modest-scale fun rather than white-knuckle thrills. The whole place has that charmingly ramshackle feel that works if you've got children aged four to ten and a couple of hours to kill on a rainy afternoon. Teenagers will likely find it a bit thin on entertainment, and adults without kids might wander round feeling a bit surplus to requirements after 45 minutes. Allow two to three hours maximum if you're doing it properly - grab some chips, let the kids loose on the rides, move on. It's free to enter though individual attractions cost extra, so budget accordingly. Summer weekends get rammed with families from the nearby campsites and holiday parks like Sibbecks Farm Glamping and Warren Hill Camp, both just a couple of miles down the road. Quieter on weekday mornings, particularly mid-week in the shoulder seasons. If you're basing yourselves at Appuldurcombe Gardens Holiday Park or Grange Farm Camping, Dodo Valley makes a decent rainy-day backup plan rather than a destination in itself. Worth a visit if you've got little ones and an afternoon to fill, but don't rearrange your Isle of Wight holiday around it.