Tapnell Farm has become one of the most famous family attractions on the Isle of Wight. This eco-friendly tourism business offers various types of accommodation, restaurants, an animal barn and a floating Aqua Park. It has recently launched three new rural retreats, with bookings still available for the school summer holidays. The self-catering cottages are described as “dog-friendly. They are called “The Lookout” (sleeping four), “Poacher's Lodge” (sleeping eight), and “Stockbridge” (sleeping 12) and are set amid the pastures of West Wight, close to the seashore.

Three new cottages

• Given the right weather, sunset views should be possible at “The Lookout”, an upside-down house with a spacious open-plan living area arranged on the first floor to give guests uninterrupted views across the meadows to Tennyson Down. This cottage features two en-suite bedrooms and a garden with a furnished patio. Prices start from £350 per night in July and August and £250 per night in autumn (minimum two-night stay).
• Plenty of room for all the family or a larger friend group should be available at “Poacher's Lodge”, which has a large lounge and a kitchen-diner that opens onto a furnished patio and a garden. It also has a snug with a log burner, four bedrooms, one en-suite, and a family bathroom. Prices: £450 per night in July and August and £350 per night in autumn (minimum two-night stay).
• “Stockbridge “ has an open-plan area for cooking, dining and relaxing, a furnished patio and a garden. The house has six bedrooms and five bathrooms, including one on the ground floor with full wheelchair access and a wet room. The house, which is set on the edge of Tapnell Farm, is available for the summer season only, starting from £1,272 for two nights.
• The latest developments mark Tapnell Farm's 10th anniversary. The farm is said to have offered glamping before the word made it into the dictionary; it has become the Isle of Wight's best-known eco-friendly attraction. Tapnell Farm Group has recently opened upcycled animal arcs, The Piglets and a repurposed container, The Snug, at neighbouring East Afton Farm. Tapnell Farm's other accommodation includes Eco Pods, Modulogs, Safari Tents, Wood Cabins, Geodesic Domes, and two further houses, Dairyman's Cottage and Tapnell Manor.

Former dairy farm

Tapnell Farm was once one of the biggest dairy farms on the Isle of Wight, run by the Turney family for almost 40 years. Since 2012, it has been transformed by Tom Turney and his brother-in-law Tom Honeyman Brown into an eco-tourism business. Tapnell Farm is now home to Tom's Eco Lodge and Farm accommodation, Tapnell Farm Park, Isle of Wight Aqua Park, Isle of Wight Football Golf and The Cow Restaurant & Bar. It provides glamping staycations and seeks to have the minimum impact on the environment through its on- and off-site initiatives. The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival took place in the fields at Tapnell Farm.