New Forest Wildlife Park

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 Old Sarum

Old Sarum Castle is an 11th century motte-and-bailey castle ruin in Salisbury, Wiltshire, set within an ancient Iron Age hillfort and managed by English Heritage, offering visitors an outdoor historical experience of medieval fortifications and earthworks.

2 miles from The social season: A Regency year at Mompesson House

9–13 Oct, 16–20 Oct…

Explore Mompesson House dressed to reflect the Portman family’s time there and learn about Regency life and the family’s social calendar. Visitors can see a Regency parlour and children’s playroom, take part in activities, and follow a spotter trail around the house.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

Near 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.

2 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.

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.

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 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.

2 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.

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.

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.

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.

Located in Yarmouth

Yarmouth is a picturesque port town on the Isle of Wight known for its historic streets, a Tudor castle, a long timber pier, and maritime heritage with ferry connections to the mainland.

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.

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.

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.

Near 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.

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.

3 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 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.

3 miles from 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.

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.

2 miles from Curbridge Nature Reserve

Curbridge Nature Reserve in Hampshire is a riverside nature reserve featuring ancient woodland, salt marshes, and reed beds that provide important habitats for wetland birds and rare species. Visitors can explore established walking paths amidst mature oak trees and enjoy the biodiversity of the river and estuary environment. Dogs on leads are welcome, and free parking is available for a limited time nearby.

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.

2 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 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.