Wildheart Animal Sanctuary

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.

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 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 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 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 Ventnor

Ventnor is a Victorian-era seaside resort town on the Isle of Wight known for its sheltered microclimate, beaches, Victorian heritage, botanic gardens, vibrant arts scene, and historic landmarks.

3 miles from Titchfield Abbey

Titchfield Abbey is a medieval Premonstratensian abbey in Hampshire with surviving church ruins, a Tudor gatehouse, and historic fishponds. Converted into a Tudor mansion post-Dissolution, it is now a preserved historic site open to the public under English Heritage care.

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 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.

3 miles from East Head

East Head is a natural coastline area in West Sussex featuring rare sand-dune habitats, a sandy beach, shingle, and salt-marsh. Visitors can enjoy scenic coastal walks, beach activities, wildlife spotting including seals, and dog-friendly access with some restrictions during bird nesting season.

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.

Near 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.

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 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 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 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 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.

Located in Brading

Brading is a small historic town on the Isle of Wight known for its Roman villa, medieval heritage, scenic downland views, and nature reserve at Brading Marshes. It offers cultural attractions, local pubs, and accessibility by train and bus for visitors.

Near 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 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.

2 miles from Goodwood House

Goodwood House is a historic stately home in West Sussex featuring an impressive collection of art and historic artifacts. Visitors can enjoy guided tours of the house and exhibitions, along with a luxury afternoon tea experience in the ballroom. The venue offers good wheelchair accessibility and enriches visitors with a deep sense of aristocratic heritage.

Near 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 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 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.

3 miles from Medmerry

Medmerry is a coastal nature reserve near Chichester offering extensive trails, panoramic views, and excellent birdwatching including avocets and birds of prey. The reserve is free to enter, dog-friendly on public paths, and features multiple car parks. Toilets and refreshments are available at a nearby visitor centre.

Located in Bognor Regis

Bognor Regis is a historic seaside resort town in West Sussex known for its sandy beaches, cultural festivals, Butlin's holiday camp, and a vibrant arts scene including theatres and music events.

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.

3 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.

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 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.

2 miles from Uppark

Uppark is a Grade I listed 17th-century historic house museum in West Sussex, open to the public as a National Trust property. It features extensive collections from the 18th century, has been carefully restored after a major fire in 1989, and holds historical significance including ties to writer H. G. Wells.

3 miles from Stansted Park: Scandal and Society

16 Oct (next Friday)

A talk by Stansted Park’s Collections Coordinator explores the people who owned the estate before the Earls of Bessborough arrived in 1924, and the historical events and stories associated with them. Tickets include a drink on arrival.

3 miles from 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.

3 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 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 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.

2 miles from Harting Down

Harting Down is a large area of ancient chalk downland featuring scenic hilltop views, diverse wildlife, and historical remnants including an Iron Age hill fort and Napoleonic war telegraph station. It offers extensive outdoor walking trails through a pristine natural landscape managed by the National Trust.

3 miles from Stansted House: Celebrating the 1920’s

10 Oct (this Saturday)

Visitors can explore Stansted House as it was in the late 1920s, seeing archival items and learning about the Bessborough family and life among the servants. The day includes piano performances, drop-in Charleston workshops, a children’s trail, an exhibition about Stansted Theatre and talks.

3 miles from Boxgrove Priory

Boxgrove Priory is an ancient 12th-century Benedictine priory ruins located in the village of Boxgrove, West Sussex. The priory church remains in use as the Church of St Mary and St Blaise, with the ruins being a protected Grade I listed building, offering visitors a glimpse into England's medieval religious heritage.

3 miles from Boxgrove Priory

Boxgrove Priory is a historic small Benedictine priory ruin in West Sussex featuring notable remains including a two-storey guest house and a parish church, set at the foot of the South Downs and open freely during daylight hours.

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.

3 miles from Southwick Priory

Southwick Priory in Hampshire is an outdoor site featuring the ruins of a priory founded about 1128 and later converted into a mansion after its suppression in 1538. Visitors can explore the historic earthworks and wall remnants at no entry cost.

3 miles from 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.

Near Drovers Estate

Drovers Estate is a scenic South Downs estate offering woodland walks, rolling pastures, and panoramic views from Hat Hill, with rich wildlife habitats and historical features including a medieval deer park and a bat roost in a disused railway tunnel.

3 miles from Stansted Park

Stansted Park is an Edwardian country house set within 1800 acres of landscaped parkland and forest, offering visitors house tours, gardens, a chapel, woodland walks, and various outdoor attractions including a maze and light railway. Facilities include accessible parking, a café, and buggy service, with family-friendly activities and seasonal guided tours.

2 miles from New Forest Wildlife Park

New Forest Wildlife Park is a zoological park focused on native British wildlife and global otters and owls, offering conservation projects, animal exhibits including a butterfly walk-through, and visitor facilities like a café and gift shop.

2 miles from Fort Cumberland (England)

Fort Cumberland is a historic pentagonal artillery fort in Southsea, Hampshire, protecting the entrance to Langstone Harbour and the Royal Navy Dockyard. Now managed by English Heritage, it offers pre-booked guided tours of its extensive masonry fortifications and houses a distillery and veterans charities within its casemates.

3 miles from Langstone Harbour

Langstone Harbour is a nature reserve with tidal mudflats, saltmarsh, and lagoons supporting diverse waterbirds. It offers outdoor wildlife viewing along coastal paths with no visitor centre, on-site facilities, or entry fees.

2 miles from St Catherine's Oratory

St. Catherine's Oratory is a medieval stone lighthouse built in 1328 on St. Catherine's Down, Isle of Wight. It is Britain's only surviving medieval lighthouse and offers a historic outdoor experience atop a scenic hill.

3 miles from Denmans Garden

Denmans Garden is a tranquil Grade II-listed garden on the South Downs, featuring innovative gravel gardens, faux riverbeds, a walled garden, ponds, and a conservatory. It showcases diverse and unusual plants with a focus on design and year-round interest, welcoming dogs and offering refreshments and plant sales.

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 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.

3 miles from Chillerton Down

Chillerton Down is a scenic outdoor downland area on the Isle of Wight offering panoramic views, walking trails, and recreational activities like picnicking and paragliding. The landscape includes wooded valleys and farmland and is partly owned by the National Trust.

3 miles from Blackgang Chine

Blackgang Chine is the oldest amusement park in the UK, located on the Isle of Wight. It features multiple themed areas with rides, animatronic dinosaurs, walkthrough attractions, and a historic whale skeleton. The park offers family-friendly entertainment with a mix of indoor and outdoor experiences, including cafes and play areas.

Located in Newport

Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, known for its historic centre, Roman villa, arts and culture venues, and river quay, offering visitors a lively market town experience with annual music festivals.