At the weekend we went to Bembridge, to visit Dinosaur Isle on Sandown seafront. š¦ š¦ āDine-saw ā GRRR!ā [for the uninitiated, a Peppa Pig reference]
We had planned to go a couple of times before, but didnāt make it: once we missed the bus so took the next one to Bembridge village instead; the other we delayed until Sunday due to weather, when the museum is closed.
Very short outbound flight to Bembridge, but the first half was busy as I had difficulty getting a transit from Southampton. The first call resulted in āremain outside controlled airspaceā, followed 5 minutes later by ācall me back 5nm from my boundaryā, then āexpect routing to the east of my zoneā, followed finally by ācleared to transit not above 3,500 feetā. Funny how after flying over a decade in the UK it still blindsides you. Track miles increased by 46% compared to straight-line distance; I wonder what the environmental impact of the CAAās bust-them-all policy has in terms of CO2 emissions.
Gosport and the island behind
Bembridge harbour
Base joins usually work best approaching Bembridge from the north, but there were two other aircraft in roughly the same place as me so I did a modified circuit for spacing.
A nice Gipsy Moth
There was a marked bank of cloud along the ridge, completely obscuring the Yarborough monument
We paid for the landing, and went to wait for the bus at the airfield gate. Iād timed it quite well, and only had a 10 minute wait. Itās the hourly Southern Vectis number 8 bus, or less frequent open-top tourist buses also. You can use their website or app to track your bus to check for delays and make sure you get the right stop. Itās a double-decker, so we always go upstairs and the kids absolutely love it. Itās only about a 7 minute ride, but along narrow lanes and you get good views of the surrounding countryside.
The route.
The view from the top. The little old lady in the seat in front had a pot plant with her šŖ“
Our bus
Lunchtime
The lifted moist air is obvious on the clifftop here too
Why fly to Bembridge to visit Sandown, when it has its own airfield? Iāve only flown into Sandown once, and found the surface very rough even in a tailwheel Piper. Also, with both ends on the bus route, Bembridge is actually more convenient.
We got off one stop past the museum to have an early lunch. The food wasnāt amazing, but it was convenient, cheap, and quick.
The museum itself was good, but small. Admission is Ā£8 for adults and Ā£5 for children, or Ā£20 for a family. We were there an hour and quarter in total, having looked at everything, including the gift shop. To be honest, the zoo next door is better for a day out, but it was still good, especially for my son who is a big dinosaur afficionado. It was pretty dark inside, and the phone photos didnāt come out very well.
Pterodactyl-inspired building
Ichthyosaur
A digital microscope with the display on the screen on the right. There are buttons to zoom and focus, and a selection of things to look at. The children spent ages on this.
Ammonites
Interactive paleontology
In incredibly detailed reconstruction
Window into the fossil room. They have over 40,000!
The main room
T-rex?
Excavated and removed whole still in the rock, and displayed vertically. These were big beasts.
An animatronic model, with buttons to move the eyes, tail, jaws, claws, arms etc. The other side has skin, so you can watch it move in the mirror. My son would have spent all day here.
We didnāt go into the centre of Sandown. We went once during Covid, and found it quite run down looking. On that visit one of the shops called us over from the opposite pavement to give us all free ice creams, as they wouldnāt sell before the expiry date. Iāve been meaning to go back and spend some money there, but canāt remember where it was now.
Giant trampolines
Dinosaur minigolf
Electric go-karting
The beach was much busier in the afternoon and nearer the pier
We were planning to do the dinosaur-themed mini-golf, but the kids werenāt interested. We went to the play park instead, then the beach. This was unplanned, and required some creativity to get enough dry clothes to cover two children for the return journey.
Take-off. Shame about the glare in this photo.
Portsmouth
Overhead Southampton
Almost home
For the return flight, Southampton granted a direct transit immediately, restoring my faith in ATC. We all went home tired but happy: another good day out.
Thanks for the report, especially the tip for the bus line.
Thank you! Looks amazing.
One to consider brining my daughter to in the future 
That looks a super high value trip.
The IOW needs a car, a bus or an e-bike (unless you are fit) to get around And taxis are extremely expensive.
A poor attempt to clean it up a bit.
While you are at it, please straighten out the horizon, too .
Obviously difficult with kids in tow but I actually really like the walk from Bembridge to Sandown and to have lunch in that Driftwood cafe.
Nice report Capitaine, thanks!
As for me, no need to visit any museum, Iām surrounded by them dinosaurs. Alive.
PS
According to wifey and other people, I belong to that same speciesā¦
