Picture-perfect Godshill is a charming, much-visited village with thatched cottages, a 15th-century church set high on a hill, a winding main street lined with tea shops, and tree-lined lanes that tempt one to explore further. Its name derives from a legend in which villages tried three times to build the church elsewhere but each time the stones were removed to their present position. The church is among the 10 ten visited churches in the UK. It attracts more that 100,000 visitors every year.

Situated in the Old Vicarage Gardens is the impressive 1:10 scale Model Village, with miniature thatched cottages, local characters, trees and gardens and a 1:20 model railway, all of which is set in a delightful 11-acre garden boasting more that 2000 conifers.

Also suitable for children from three years to three score and 10 is the Nostalgia Toy Museum, with a collection of more that 2000 Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox toys dating from the 30's to the 70's, and changing displays throughout the year.

If you are in the mood to splash out, take a look at Isle of Wight gold, set in a courtyard off the High Street, where quality jewellery is available, including unusual nine-carat yellow-and-white gold earings, and Isle of Wight pendants. You can watch the goldsmith at work and a commission a special piece for yourself or a loved one. Also near the church is Christmas Cottage, open every day for all manner of presents, ranging from teddies to wicker baskets.

Those in search of Gourmet gifts should head for the The Cider Barn in the high street, where local cider can be sampled and bought in old-fashioned stone bottles. Mustards, pickles, oils and vinegars are also available.

Godshill is rapidly gaining a reputation for producing top-quality food. Just outside the village, on the main road, is the Organic Farm Shop, stocking foods both locally grown and imported. Moor farm has an impressive reuptation for its sausages, pies and joints, derived from the humane husbandry practised on the farm, where the pigs are free-range and eat only natural foods. Ham, Sausages and Bacon are all available at the weekly farmers market in Newport and the farm also operates a postal service.

If your hunger is more immediate, make a beeline for the Essex, one of the six original dwellings in the village (and mentioned in the Doomsday Book), which was recently awarded two Rosettes by the AA. Thomas Cromwell was bequeathed the cottage by the King and was the first tea-room to open in the village. Patrons tend to be reluctant to leave - dont be surprised to see an old farmer by the front door, leaning on his stick and smoking a pipes. This is merely the resident ghost - the smell of tobacco alerts staff to his presence from time to time!