Island visitors set for ‘very special’ Isle of Wight bear hunt

Visitors to the Isle of Wight will be able to join-in a very special ‘Isle of Wight Bear Hunt’ this year.

The Island will start by offering its visitors a new We’re Going on An Isle of Wight Bear Hunt adventure trail guide, highlighting similarities between the locations in the story and places on the Island. The new leaflet is now available to holidaymakers at ferry ports, Tourist Information Points across the Island and hotels and attractions.

As seen on Channel 4, and based on the best-selling original children’s picture book, Visit Isle of Wight has teamed-up with the makers of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt for some special Isle of Wight family adventures in 2018.

It all means that young families can now go on their very own Bear Hunt on the Island by visiting the places highlighted in the leaflet, and enjoy simple family pleasures such as rock-pooling at Bembridge Ledge, searching for dinosaur footprint casts at Compton Bay, cycling the safe footpath that runs along the seafront from Cowes to Gurnard, or tucking into a picnic on the sheltered sandy beach at St Helen’s Duver.

Official Bear Hunt Adventure Weekends with the National Trust are scheduled to take place at St Helen’s Duver on May 12/13 and July 14/15; and at Newtown National Nature Reserve on June 2/3 and September 8/9. These will be encouraging families to immerse themselves in a real-life Bear Hunt experience where they can “swishy swashy through the long wavy grass; splish, splosh through the deep cold river; and squelch squerch through the thick oozy mud”!

Other events include a Bear Hunt Weekend at Robin Hill Country Park from May 5 to 7; and a Bear Hunt themed Isle of Wight Literary Festival Youth Zone from October 19 to 21, supported by Walker Books.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt published by Walker Books was adapted by Lupus Films into an animated film broadcast on Channel 4 in 2016 when it was watched by an audience of over eight million, and shown again over Christmas 2017 by Channel 4 and E4.

The newly formed partnership is aimed squarely at attracting more families to the Island in 2018, and is a key element in the Island’s “Year of Family Adventures”, which has – among other things – been created to coincide with the 175th anniversary of the UK’s first visitor attraction, Blackgang Chine, whose owners are planning a number of special events and celebrations to mark the occasion.

It is being seen as a major coup for the Island, and the partnership with Walker Books/Bear Products has resulted in a real holiday adventure for families in 2018.

The Tourist Information hub at the Guildhall in Newport is stocking an array of ‘Bear Hunt’ related items for sale and local businesses are encouraged to hold some officially licensed products for sale.

For a growing list of ‘Bear Hunt’ related activities on the Isle of Wight in 2018, please visit www.visitisleofwight.co.uk/were-going-on-a-bear-hunt