ALTHOUGH it has only been open since 2016, Tapnell Farm Park has swiftly become one of the Island's leading attractions.

With plentiful all-weather and outdoor activities, it promises fun for all the family.

Until this year, the West Wight attraction has been a little out of reach to those without their own means of transport.

This summer, Tapnell Farm has worked with Southern Vectis to get people there by bus during the school holidays.

The open-top route 27 now turns off the main Middle Road and up to the farm, where a new bus stop has been created.

The bus goes to and from Yarmouth a few times each day, but from Newport Bus Station there's just one journey available, which means leaving Newport at 9am and returning on the 5.35pm.

I was kindly invited to visit Tapnell Farm with my family, by bus from Newport, to test the day out.

We boarded the open top bus at 9am (group day Rover £25) and enjoyed the magnificent views afforded along the scenic route.

Not being regular bus travellers we naively presumed the branches that brushed against the bus had been trimmed to within a safe distance, but that wasn't the case. A rogue branch slapped my husband across the nose and he turned up at the farm with a bloodied and swollen face, which was not the entrance we had planned on making.

One of the benefits of bus travel is that you get an extra half hour at Tapnell at the start and end of the day, getting more for your money (family of four, £37.80).

It was a fantastic fun day out and one I would highly recommend.

We started with the go-karts and zip-wires, before exploring the paddocks, indoor animal enclosures, sledge slide, bouncy pillows, and wallaby walkabout.

Mums and dads are able to have a go on most of it, so it was not a case of sitting around waiting for the children to finish playing — adults can release their inner child!

Lunch was burgers and dirty fries at The Cow, where the portions were so generous, we didn't eat for the remainder of the day.

The only downside was the long wait for the 5.35pm bus. As the minutes ticked by, we felt a bit stranded, in the middle of nowhere.

Just as we started discussing a Plan B, the bus turned up, a full 30 minutes late.

We boarded the open-top — but this time we sat downstairs!