Amusement Parks: Robin Hill - a Potted History Blooloop

Robin Hill, billed as a ‘countryside adventure park’, is an amusement park set in 88 acres at the centre of the Isle of Wight in a village called Arreton. The amusement park is owned by the Dabell family which also own Blackgang Chine, another amusement park on the island.

It is an amusement park which places less of an emphasis on thrill seeking rides but more upon rides which fit into its ‘countryside’ ethos. It has a 300 metre toboggan run and Colossus which is a swinging galleon ride.

In 2008, the amusement park unveiled its latest attraction, ‘African Adventure’ which is an adventure playground that has adopted an African village as its theme and which cost £200, 000 to install. Here, you can race the Cheetah zip slide and climb through the monkey den.

There’s the Duckdown Play Village, Snake and Hillbilly Slides and a series of underground tunnels called Run Rabbit Run for youngsters to enjoy and Tot’s Play is a specially dedicated area for very young visitors to the amusement park.

The amusement park is also strongly focused on its relationship with nature and wildlife. In fact, it is one of the best places in the UK to see one of Britain’s most loved and endangered species, the red squirrel, and the amusement park has even built Squirrel Tower for the squirrels to live and play in.

There are also two daily falconry displays put on at the amusement park, plus there’s also an opportunity to learn how to work with the falcons yourself.

As well as all of the exciting attractions at the amusement park, for those who enjoy taking some time out for a bit of relaxation, the amusement park has some ponds and special woodland gardens you can stroll through where you can also enjoy viewing sculptures from some of the island’s artists as well as other features that are intrinsically linked to the island’s history and culture. There is also a Roman villa in the amusement park

The amusement park has also gained more popularity over recent years as it is also now home to the annual alternative music festival, the ‘Bestival’ which has rapidly become one of the most popular music festivals on the summer calendar.