ISLAND LIFE MAGAZINE
haunting we will go
A
G
host hunter Marc Tuckey and
his team are preparing to lift
the veil on local spooks as the
latest Isle of Wight Ghost Walking
season gets under way.
The new programme is packed
with walks along some of the Island’s
better-known ghostly paths, as well as
introducing several new ones.
The regular Sunday evening walk
through Shanklin Old Village now
starts from Vernon Cottage gardens,
where the ghost of the ‘girl in the pink
dress’ might make an appearance.
Monday walks take place in
Newport, ending at the Castle Inn,
which is reputed to be the oldest and
most haunted pub in the town, with
some fantastic stories to be told.
And on Tuesday evenings, Marc
moves to the outside of Carisbrooke
Castle, with a popular walk down into
the village, visiting the old church of
St Mary’s.
Arreton Barns come into the spooky
spotlight on Wednesdays, with talks
about the ancient village and the
monks who inhabited the site in days
gone by. Then on Thursdays it’s down
to south Wight, from the Buddle Inn
to St Catherine’s Lighthouse where
the ghosts of many a sailor lost at sea
are reputed to manifest.
While Marc’s assistant tour guide
conducts that walk, he will be heading
a new two-hour coach tour to some of
the most haunted sites on the Island.
Ventnor Botanic Gardens, reputedly
the most haunted place on the Island,
is Saturday’s venue, and includes
a walk through the tunnel, and
underground into what used to be the
smuggling museum.
The ghost walks and the coach
tour all begin at 8pm. More details
can be found at ghostisland.com or
on Facebook page The Isle of Wight
Ghost Experience.
Haven celebrates
double awards
S
taff and keepers at Newport’s primate rescue centre
Monkey Haven have been celebrating a ‘double’ this year,
after scooping both the Beautiful South’s gold award for
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year 2014 - and a VisitEngland
gold accolade.
“This is excellent news for all of us here at the Haven” said Kelly
Wickes. “We are so pleased that our work has received such
accredited recognition”.
The centre, which recently changed its name from Owl and
Monkey Haven, is also planning lots of new developments for
2015. Some of these can be found on the newly-launched
website www.monkeyhaven.org and others are yet to be unveiled.
This ensures there will be plenty to keep visitors coming back
for more right through the season.
Among the most popular features for visitors are the
marmoset encounter – a rare chance to get close up with the
Haven’s smallest reside