Sandown Bay this weekend finds itself in a prominent position in The Guardian’s ‘Where to go on holiday in 2020: the alternative hotlist’.
On the weekend when families around the country are beginning to plan their summer holidays, this entry in the Guardian’s ‘must visit’ list is a real coup for the Island.
The Isle of Wight is among 19 other global destinations – including Sweden, Japan, Italy, Switzerland and Sri Lanka – and for the first time that we’ve ever seen, it’s being dubbed ‘futuristic retro’.
Well done to all at Visit Isle of Wight, whose hard work led to this entry in the Hotlist.
The future is collaboration
As well as highlighting the Island’s latest status as a UNESCO Biosphere reserve – featuring its rare wildlife such as our much-loved red squirrels, Glanville fritillary butterfly and the Ventnor wall lizard – the entry in the top 20 list raises the profile of the brilliant work being carried out by The Common Space and Discovery Bay.
Collaboration between environmental organisations, charities, councils and local volunteers is improving the Island for locals, visitors and nature alike. The Common Space, a non-profit, is working with local volunteers to revitalise the Bay area in the east of the island; a 2020 calendar of events includes British Science Week (6-15 March), when pop-up laboratories will showcase natural wonders from pond life to fossils.
In Sandown on the south coast, Browns Golf Course is getting a wildlife makeover thanks to a new footpath linking a previously overgrown woodland walk and reedbed wetland. Via the Lost Duver Project, the council and community are also restoring former dune stacks in Sandown by replanting native coastal flora such as ragged-robin and thrift.
Hunting of the Snark
The Guardian highlights just a small sample of the many reasons to visit the Isle of Wight this year, but if you’re heading to Sandown, don’t forget to pop into their new nano-brewery and bar, Boojum and Snark, which reopens its doors in late February 2020.
To see the other 19 entries in the Alternative Hotlist, pop over to the Guardian Travel Website.
