New Forest Wildlife Park

Near Bembridge Windmill

Bembridge Windmill is a Grade I listed historic tower mill on the Isle of Wight, built around 1700 and operated by the National Trust. Visitors can explore this four-storey mill with original machinery, open to the public seasonally from March to November.

Near Rosetta Cottage

Rosetta Cottage is a Victorian manor house in Cowes, Isle of Wight, known for its connection to Winston Churchill's parents' marriage proposal. It comprises two holiday cottages managed by the National Trust and is part of the island's Churchill Trail.

Located in Cowes

Cowes is a historic English port town on the Isle of Wight known globally for its maritime heritage, especially yachting and the annual Cowes Week regatta. It offers a walkable town center with diverse shops, eateries, and cultural sights including Cowes Castle and a floating chain ferry connecting to East Cowes.

2 miles from St Helens Duver

St Helens Duver is a sandy spit of land on the Isle of Wight featuring beaches, rock pools, woodlands, and historical sites including a former royal golf course. It offers coastal walks with wildlife spotting opportunities and is dog-friendly with wheelchair accessible paths.

2 miles from Farringford Estate

Farringford Estate is a historic garden on the Isle of Wight with a recreated walled garden reflecting its association with poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, featuring herbaceous borders, a public glasshouse, and wildlife planting.

3 miles from Family Fungi Walk

11 Oct, 18 Oct…

A family walk on Mottistone Down to identify autumn fungi and hear facts, myths and folklore about toadstools. The route may involve leaving the main path to get a closer look.

Near Highcliffe Castle

Highcliffe Castle is a Grade I listed Gothic mansion on a cliff top in Dorset, offering restored historic interiors with exhibitions and beach access. Visitors can explore the house, enjoy the scenic grounds, and use the on-site cafe and picnic areas.

Located in Christchurch

Christchurch is a historic town on the south coast of Dorset, England, featuring a medieval priory, castle ruins, a picturesque harbour, and vibrant cultural events, making it a popular and accessible tourist destination.

2 miles from Appuldurcombe House

Appuldurcombe House is a historic 18th-century English Baroque country house on the Isle of Wight, now a partially ruined shell managed by English Heritage. Visitors can explore both the remains of the grand indoor mansion and the landscaped outdoor grounds originally designed by Capability Brown, with ghost walks offered in the summer holidays.

2 miles from Newtown National Nature Reserve and Old Town Hall

Newtown National Nature Reserve on the Isle of Wight offers a unique blend of ancient woodlands, wildflower meadows, and a picturesque harbour filled with diverse birdlife. Visitors can explore peaceful walking trails, enjoy guided historical and wellbeing walks, and take part in water activities like canoeing. The 17th-century Old Town Hall nearby adds a historical element to the natural setting. The site is dog-friendly, wheelchair accessible on certain paths, and has food available at the Visitor Point.

3 miles from Brading Marshes

Brading Marshes is a nature reserve on the Isle of Wight offering outdoor wildlife watching with habitats for rare birds like Marsh Harriers and mammals such as Red Squirrels. Visitors can explore miles of footpaths and enjoy multiple viewing points in a tranquil setting.

Near Bishop's Waltham Palace

Bishop's Waltham Palace is a ruined medieval bishop's palace in Hampshire, England, known for its historical importance and royal connections. The moated ruins are open to the public and host local events, offering visitors an outdoor historical experience.

Near Gunwharf Quays

Gunwharf Quays is a vibrant shopping centre in Portsmouth featuring a wide range of retail stores, dining options, and a cinema, set within a historic former military site including restored buildings and the landmark Spinnaker Tower.

3 miles from New Forest Northern Commons

New Forest Northern Commons is a vast open landscape in Hampshire featuring walking trails through heathland and ancient woodland pasture, home to rare wildlife and shaped by traditional commoning livestock grazing. Visitors can explore diverse habitats and enjoy a natural, historic environment outdoors.

Located in New Milton

New Milton is a historic market town in Hampshire with a rich heritage, cultural venues, nearby coastal cliffs and walking paths, and accessible transport options including a railway station and bus services.

3 miles from Breamore House

Breamore House is an Elizabethan manor house in Hampshire offering visitors an immersive experience of fine paintings, tapestries, and period furniture, set within beautiful parkland. The house has wheelchair accessible routes and a café, providing a comfortable visit amidst historic surroundings.

3 miles from Osborne

Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, built as a summer home for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Visitors can explore the grand Italianate architecture, royal apartments, extensive gardens, and enjoy the unique historic setting including a private beach and the Durbar Room with Indian influences. The site offers a mix of indoor and outdoor experiences with historic interiors and landscaped grounds.

Located in Ryde

Ryde is a historic seaside town on the Isle of Wight known for its expansive sandy beaches, the fourth longest listed pier in the UK, and a charming town centre with Regency and Victorian architecture. It offers a variety of leisure activities including boating, amusement arcades, parks, and cultural events such as carnivals.

Near Westquay

Westquay is a major shopping centre in Southampton, offering over 130 retail stores including major brands, a wide range of dining options, a cinema, and leisure facilities all within a large indoor complex heated by geothermal energy.

2 miles from Model Village Godshill

This family-owned garden features 3,000 sculpted conifers surrounding a unique one-tenth scale model village, with year-round interest provided by bonsai-treated trees and thoughtful landscaping. The garden is accessible, dog-friendly, and offers refreshments on site.

Near Wildheart Animal Sanctuary

Wildheart Animal Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary on the Isle of Wight housing rescued exotic animals including tigers, lions, and lemurs within the historic Sandown Fort. It focuses on rescue and rehabilitation rather than breeding, offering both indoor exhibits and outdoor habitats for visitors to explore.

Near The Mall Southampton

Marlands Shopping Centre is a large indoor shopping mall in Southampton offering a variety of retail stores, cafes, a food court, and family-friendly amenities including a soft play area and axe throwing venue. It features postmodern architecture and has undergone multiple renovations since its 1991 opening.

Near Yarmouth Castle

Yarmouth Castle is a 16th-century artillery fort on the Isle of Wight featuring an innovative arrow-head bastion design. Visitors can explore its historic gun platform, original courtyard buildings, and the Master Gunner's House. The castle has a rich military history, including use in both World Wars, and is maintained by English Heritage as a tourist attraction.

2 miles from Borthwood Copse

Borthwood Copse is a National Trust woodland on the Isle of Wight featuring ancient trees, native wildlife including red squirrels, and scenic walking paths with viewpoints overlooking the sea.

Located in Sandown

Sandown is a charming seaside resort town on the Isle of Wight, known for its long sandy beaches, historic military fortifications, thriving arts scene, and accessible public transport including a railway station and local buses.

Near Knoll Gardens and Nursery

Knoll Gardens near Wimborne, Dorset is a renowned naturalistic garden featuring innovative planting styles like Dry Meadow, Rain Garden, and Prairie. It hosts diverse wildlife and showcases national plant collections, attracting visitors for its evolving horticultural displays.

Located in Wimborne Minster

Wimborne Minster is a historic market town in Dorset, England, known for its Saxon church, cultural festivals, preserved architecture, and active community events.

2 miles from Carisbrooke Castle

Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle on the Isle of Wight known for its 13th-century buildings, Elizabethan fortifications, and as the prison of King Charles I. Visitors can explore the castle's interiors, the Isle of Wight Museum, and outdoor earthworks including a well with a working donkey wheel.

Near Farringford

Farringford is a historic Grade 1 listed Gothick style house on the Isle of Wight that was home to Victorian Poet Laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Visitors can explore the meticulously restored 19th-century interiors and extensive gardens. The venue offers guided house tours and garden access with a rich cultural heritage.

2 miles from Needles Old Battery Tour

9 Oct, 16 Oct…

Join a guided tour of the Needles Old Battery to explore its military history, surviving structures and stories of the people who lived and served there. The tour is led by Jo and Steve from Restore the Story CIC.

Near Bembridge Fort

Bembridge Fort is a 19th-century hexagonal fort on Bembridge Down, Isle of Wight, built to protect the coast during the Second French Empire. It offers a unique historic military site with guided tours by appointment and has a theatre in the old gunpowder magazine.

3 miles from The Pepperbox

The Pepperbox is an historic hexagonal folly tower built in 1606 on Pepperbox Hill, Wiltshire. It offers panoramic views across the surrounding countryside including Salisbury. The tower is a Grade II listed building and a notable early folly, owned and preserved by the National Trust.

Near Mottistone Manor

Mottistone Manor is a National Trust property on the Isle of Wight known for its historic manor house dating back to the 15th century and its popular gardens. The house is generally not open to the public except for one day per year, offering visitors a glimpse of historic architecture and landscaped gardens.

3 miles from Amazon World Zoo Park

Amazon World Zoo Park is a medium-sized zoo on the Isle of Wight specializing in animals of the Amazon rainforest, featuring exotic species from South America and engaging in conservation and rescue efforts. Visitors explore outdoor animal habitats focusing on ecological care and breeding programmes.

Located in Shanklin

Shanklin is a charming seaside resort town on the Isle of Wight offering a sandy beach, a historic Old Village, a scenic wooded ravine called Shanklin Chine, and a variety of traditional seaside attractions alongside cultural and nature experiences.

Located in Fordingbridge

Fordingbridge is a historic market town in Hampshire by the River Avon, known for its medieval seven-arch bridge, riverside park, local museums, and vibrant town centre with shops and eateries.

Near Bargate Centre

Southampton City Centre is the commercial and transport hub of Southampton, featuring major shopping centres including Westquay, cultural museums in the Old Town area, and transport links such as a coach station, railway station, and ferry services. It combines historic landmarks with modern retail and leisure facilities.

2 miles from Compton Bay and Downs

Compton Bay and Downs on the Isle of Wight offers a stunning outdoor experience featuring a fossil-rich sandy beach, dramatic chalk cliffs, rich wildlife habitats, and extensive walking trails. Visitors can enjoy fossil hunting, surfing, wildlife watching, and family-friendly events like guided fossil walks and rockpool safaris.

3 miles from Ventnor Downs

Ventnor Downs offers dramatic coastal views and expansive chalk hills with diverse wildlife including rare birds and feral goats. Visitors can explore trails featuring historic military sites and Bronze Age remains in a scenic outdoor environment.

Located in Lymington

Lymington is a charming coastal port town in Hampshire known for its rich maritime history, yachting culture, Victorian and Georgian architecture, and vibrant tourist amenities including markets, marinas, and cultural venues.

2 miles from Christchurch Castle

Christchurch Castle in Dorset is a historic Norman motte and bailey castle featuring ruins of a stone keep and the Constable's House, a rare Norman domestic dwelling. The site offers outdoor exploration of the castle grounds and gardens, as well as indoor experience of the preserved Constable's House, managed by English Heritage.

Located in Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a vibrant coastal resort town in Dorset, England, famous for its seven-mile sandy beaches, Victorian architecture, lively nightlife, cultural venues, and tourism. It combines historic charm with modern attractions and hosts various festivals and events.

3 miles from North Court

North Court is a Jacobean manor house on the Isle of Wight dating back to 1615 with significant historical architecture and nationally important gardens, offering visitors both indoor exploration and outdoor garden experiences.

Near Medieval Merchant's House

The Medieval Merchant's House in Southampton is a restored late-13th-century timber-framed building showcasing medieval domestic and commercial architecture. Visitors can explore its original layout including a shop front, vaulted cellar, and period furnishings, preserved as a historic house museum by English Heritage.

3 miles from Houghton Lodge Gardens

Houghton Lodge Gardens is a historic 18th-century garden featuring formal and informal landscapes, a new Oriental Garden, champion trees, and riverside walks with alpine and sheep sightings. It offers a picturesque outdoor experience with plant sales and refreshments available.

2 miles from Castlepoint Shopping Centre

Castlepoint is a large retail park in Bournemouth, Dorset, featuring around 40 shops and multiple dining options within a two-level indoor shopping environment, supported by a spacious car park.

3 miles from Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway

Exbury Gardens is a 200-acre outdoor garden known for its world-famous rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, and magnolias, with seasonal floral displays and engaging woodland paths. The garden includes a children's play area, wildlife habitats, and visitor facilities such as refreshments and plant sales.

2 miles from Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle is a historic 16th-century artillery fort located on Hurst Spit in Hampshire, England, built by Henry VIII to protect the Solent. It features extensive 19th-century gun batteries, an active lighthouse, and served military roles through two World Wars. Now managed by English Heritage, the site offers visitors a glimpse into England's coastal defence history amid ongoing conservation efforts due to coastal erosion.

3 miles from The Needles Headland and Tennyson Down

The Needles Headland and Tennyson Down on the Isle of Wight offer stunning coastal views, walking trails, and natural landscapes with historic monuments and military forts, managed as open chalk grassland with public access.

3 miles from The Needles

The Needles are distinctive chalk sea stacks off the Isle of Wight, featuring a historic lighthouse, scenic boat tours, and former military sites including batteries and a rocket test site, all accessible to the public and protected within natural and scientific conservation areas.

3 miles from Needles New Battery Tour

9 Oct, 16 Oct…

A guided tour of the Needles New Battery explores its history as a coastal defence site and later as a Cold War rocket-testing base, including the development of the Black Knight and Black Arrow rockets.

2 miles from Furzey Gardens

Furzey Gardens is a 10-acre informal woodland garden with winding paths, featuring a historic plant collection, a recreated Chelsea Flower Show gold medal garden, and natural wildlife habitats. It offers facilities including refreshments, a children's play area, and parking, with free access for RHS Members on selected days.

2 miles from Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum is a Victorian villa in Bournemouth featuring historic art collections, galleries, and a Japanese treasures room, alongside a small garden and a cafe with sea views. The venue offers tours, live music, and is mostly wheelchair accessible with facilities for children.

3 miles from Newtown Old Town Hall

Newtown Old Town Hall is a historic Tudor-style municipal building on the Isle of Wight, owned by the National Trust. Visitors can explore its historic interiors and learn about its role in UK parliamentary history and Ferguson's Gang.

2 miles from Netley Abbey

Netley Abbey is a historic 13th-century Cistercian monastery ruin near Southampton, Hampshire. Visitors can explore the extensive ruins of the abbey church, cloister buildings, and abbot's house set within picturesque wooded parkland. The site is managed by English Heritage and is notable as one of the best preserved medieval monasteries of its kind in southern England.

2 miles from The Summer House

The Summer House is a Georgian Gothic folly in Hampshire situated in a landscaped park by Capability Brown. Visitors can experience restored interiors, including a unique octagonal dining room and historic bathing room, as well as explore the surrounding gardens and nearby historic ruins on guided tours.

3 miles from Hinton Ampner: Unseen

5–18 Oct (another 9 days)

Hinton Ampner: Unseen is an exhibition revealing rarely displayed objects, hidden areas and stories from the historic house. Visitors can explore furniture, the China Store and the conservation work involved in caring for the collections.

3 miles from The Needles Batteries

The Needles Batteries on the Isle of Wight feature two historic military artillery batteries built in the 19th century to defend the Solent. Visitors can explore both outdoor fortifications and indoor exhibition rooms showcasing Victorian military life, World War history, and Cold War rocket development. The site includes tunnels, observation posts, and a tearoom, offering a compelling outdoor and indoor historical experience.

Located in Poole

Poole is a historic coastal town and seaport in Dorset, England, known for its large natural harbour, maritime heritage, sandy beaches, cultural attractions, and lively shopping and dining scene.

3 miles from Winterbourne Downs

Winterbourne Downs is a RSPB nature reserve in Wiltshire preserving and restoring rare chalk grassland habitats. Visitors can enjoy marked nature trails, wildlife viewing screens, and panoramic views while spotting rare birds like Stone-curlews. The site offers wheelchair accessible paths and picnic areas but no indoor facilities or food services.

2 miles from Compton Acres

Compton Acres is an extensive Art and Crafts-style garden in Poole featuring five themed gardens inspired by worldwide travels, including Italian, Japanese, and Water gardens with seasonal plantings and rare wildlife.

3 miles from Free daily guided red squirrel walks

7–23 Oct (another 14 days)

Join a volunteer for a guided woodland walk on Brownsea Island to look for red squirrels as they forage for food.

3 miles from Chillerton Down

Chillerton Down is a scenic downland hill on the Isle of Wight, featuring Iron Age earthworks and managed partly by the National Trust, ideal for outdoor exploration and historical interest.

3 miles from Figsbury Ring

Figsbury Ring is an ancient earthwork site in Wiltshire featuring Neolithic and Iron Age archaeological remains set within protected grassland on a chalk ridge, managed by the National Trust and open to the public as a significant outdoor historical landmark.

2 miles from Portchester Castle

Portchester Castle is a historic medieval fortress built within a Roman Saxon Shore fort in Hampshire, England. Visitors can explore both the extensive outdoor castle grounds and inner bailey as well as indoor ruins and exhibits, experiencing rich history from Roman times to the Napoleonic Wars. The site features Norman architecture, royal apartments, and is managed by English Heritage.

Located in Ringwood

Ringwood is a historic market town in Hampshire by the River Avon, known for its weekly market, rich medieval history, and cultural heritage including a notable brewery and filming locations.

3 miles from King James's and Landport Gates

King James's and Landport Gates are historic gateways in Portsmouth, Hampshire, originally part of 14th-century town walls with significant roles in controlling access to the city. King James's Gate was built in 1687 and moved from its original position, while Landport Gate, built in 1760, remains in its original location, both representing key military and civic heritage sites.

Near Hinton Ampner

Hinton Ampner is a National Trust country house and garden estate in Hampshire, featuring a neo-Georgian mansion with rich interiors and extensive 20th-century gardens, alongside a historic village and church. Visitors can explore both the indoor historic house museum and the outdoor gardens and parkland.

Near Guided garden tours

6 Oct, 8 Oct…

Join a volunteer-led tour of the gardens at Hinton Ampner to learn more about them. Tours take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in October 2026.