Godshill Isle of Wight

Monday September 5, 2016, our first full day visiting the Isle of Wight and it was a drizzly start to a week's vacation.

Our coach driver took us to the small village of Godshill and it was a very pleasant surprise.

It was a humid day and by late morning the rain had stopped and the sun tried to show its face.

The coach driver told us that the village had a selection of shops, cafes, tea rooms, old thatched cottages, a church at the top of a steep road and a model village.

He said the legend goes that the church was due to be built lower down in the village but nothing went to plan. Each time the building equipment was left on site in the village it ended up on higher ground. In the end the villagers took it as a sign from God and opted to change site. Our driver however said it was more likely a farmer or villager and a land dispute to blame.

For us the icing on the cake was the model village.

We mooched along a lane popping into village, tourist and quirky shops along the way. One area had lovely "magic" gardens to wander through with gnomes, toadstools, a pond and much more. Free to view we opted to respond to the request for a small donation.

We wandered on toward the post office where the road up to the church lies. One side has a slope the other steps and we opted for the slope up and steps down.

As promised a handful of beautiful thatched cottages at the top of the slope before you enter the churchyard were worth a visit.

The church was much like others in the area with a graveyard full of old tombstones. But it offered some nice views.

Our coach had only stopped at Godshill for a couple of hours so next we made our way back to the coach stop along the opposite side of the road making our last stop at the model village.

Having visited similar model villages previously we knew what to expect but we were mistaken.

The model village is a treat from start to finish.

The details are spot on. In one or two cases the scale of the mini-people looked a little off but overall it was excellent.

And yes there was a model village of the model village of Godshill in the model village!

• There is an entrance fee with concessions available and your entrance ticket lasts a week so a re-visit is cost effective.
• You leave the model village through a gift shop.
• There are unusal gardens too with refreshments available.

Would I visit Godshill again? Yes probably.

Would I visit the model village again? Absolutely!

​Godshill