We were on the Isle of Wight for a long weekend – it’s within easy distance for a short break, just a two-hour drive to Portsmouth and a quick Wightlink ferry trip. But as we managed to pick the weekend the storm St Jude was due, I was relieved we were staying on the River Solent side of the island at Seaview.

We had booked a holiday cottage at Seaview Holidays’ Saltern Village, just minutes from the beach. The cosy, comfortable and, important in October, heated accommodation has decking all around where you can sit and enjoy views of the neighbouring Hersey Nature Reserve from the front and open countryside behind.

The day St Jude was due to arrive, we had an exhilarating time sampling the best the weather could throw at us at The Needles Park, where we battled to stay upright in 70mph+ winds as we enjoyed a stunning view of the famous landmark and just a few of the attractions at the park – later that day the Met Office would record a top gust of 93.15mph at The Needles when St Jude hit the coastline.

We used different coloured sands from Alum Bay to create layered sand shapes using plastic molds provided in the Sand Shop, watched glassblowers for the Alum Bay Glass Shop and saw just how much sugar goes into those sweets you like at the Sweet Manufactory.

The following day brought one of the highlights for my daughter Caitlin. We visited the Owl and Monkey Haven for a ‘marmoset encounter’. We were allowed into one of the enclosures where we fed a family of the friendly monkeys and then, to Caitlin’s delight, they used us as part of their climbing frame, leaping from one to another of us before leaping around their pen and back to the treats we had. It was a wonderful experience.

A visit to the Isle of Wight wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Osborne, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s country get-away and where Victoria died in 1901. You can learn about both the public and private lives of the couple, with royal apartments and family rooms open to the public and see the incredible Durbar Room, richly decorated in an Indian style, with display cases containing gifts sent from all over the Indian empire to mark Victoria’s jubilees. You can also visit the couple’s private beach and enjoy the extensive gardens.

We also enjoyed Robin Hill Adventure Park and Gardens’ Electric Woods Lost in Time. The park opened from 2pm-9pm, so there was time to enjoy all the fun available including the thrill of the toboggan run a maze and 4D motion cinema before taking a magical tour of the lit-up woodlands.

But a trip during Halloween week to the ‘world’s most haunted island’ wouldn’t be complete without ghosts – although I didn’t expect to catch an open-topped bus to see them. A guide in top hat and tails joined us one evening on a two-hour tour of dark country roads to regale us with tales of phantoms, poltergeists and unfortunate maidens – illustrated at points by sightings of those same ‘ghosts’ as the bus slowed to give us time to spot the spooks. Hilariously, at one point the ghost departed the scene a little prematurely in what looked like a Ford Orion – presumably to make it to the next ‘sighting’ before we did.

And as we reluctantly made our way back to Fishbourne and the ferry home, we had the perfect ending to our trip - a red squirrel scampered across the road in front of us and halfway up a tree, stopped to stare at us for a few glorious seconds and then disappeared into the branches.

All in all, whatever the weather, you’ll be blown away by a visit to the Isle of Wight.

Lisa Daniels travelled courtesy of Visit Isle of Wight.

Factfile

Seaview Holidays has more than 140 Isle of Wight holiday properties. Seewww.seaviewisleofwight.co.uk

Wightlink sails between the mainland and the Isle of Wight up to 150 times a day on three routes – car ferries cross between Lymington and Yarmouth and from Portsmouth to Fishbourne and you can catch the catamaran from Portsmouth to Ryde. See www.wightlink.co.uk for timetable and prices.

For details on The Needles Park visit www.theneedles.co.uk

The Owl and Monkey Haven has gibbons, macaques, capuchins and colobus monkeys as well as the marmosets and owls and offers daily keeper talks and tours. Marmoset encounters must be pre-booked.www.owlandmonkeyhaven.co.uk

Osborne is managed by English Heritage. For entry prices and opening details visit www.english-heritage.org.uk The organisation also offers the chance to stay in the grounds by renting Pavilion Cottage. See the website for details.

Robin Hill Adventure Park & Gardens www.robin-hill.com

Ghost Bus Tours are run by the Isle of Wight Ghost Experience in conjunction with the island’s bus company Southern Vectis from Newport Bus Station every week from July to October, with extra trips in Halloween week.www.islandbuses.info

For more information on all the Isle of Wight has to offer see www.visitisleofwight.co.uk