Discover Royal Victoria Country Park, Southampton
There is so much to do at Royal Victoria Country Park – paddle in the sea, follow a story trail, puff along on a miniature railway, tackle the orienteering course and
Adventures that have a connection to the past, like museums, stately homes, castles, ancient sites etc.
There is so much to do at Royal Victoria Country Park – paddle in the sea, follow a story trail, puff along on a miniature railway, tackle the orienteering course and
Runnymede Pleasure Grounds is on the banks of the River Thames and is a great place to begin a walk along the Thames Path or explore the memorials of Runnymede. It has an unusual amount to do, including the Runnymede Pleasure Grounds Play Area, a paddling pool, amusements, boat trips along the Thames and a cafe.
My children love the idea of the Stone and Iron Ages – flint tools, cave paintings, hill forts, making fire.
Below are some places to imagine your way back in time.
Climbing the Zig-Zag path to Selbourne Common feels like ascending to a magical woodland world, hidden away in the treetops from everyone but you. Selbourne Common is
With sandy paths galore, James Bond connections and World War 2 remnants, Hankley Common is full of surprises. Hankley Common has beautiful
Arguably the most interesting stretch of the Basingstoke Canal, this walking or cycle route takes you past 11 of the huge locks that lift the canal 100 feet in just 2 miles
A Stone Age quarry hides in the deepest parts of Shere Woodlands. Tracking it down was one of those wild occasions where I began to feel like an explorer…
Have you ever heard of a cockatrice? How about witch bottles? Or a hill fort? These are all on display at Andover Museum, along with exhibits about Iron Age
Beaulieu is home to all things with motors – everything from famous motors and racing motors, to model motors and vintage motors. You can race model motors at
Some say that on a clear day you can see eight counties from the top of St Martha’s Hill! I am not sure about that but the views are picturesque and we did
Sitting high on a hill, Corfe Castle guards a gap in the Purbeck Hills, and is a fun castle to explore. Corfe Castle dates back to about 1066 and the Norman invasion of England.
A walk to St Catherine’s Hill involves the River Wey, bridges, a lock, a sacred spring and water meadows. St Catherine’s Hill used to be called Drakehull (or Dragon Hill)
It’s not often you are given the chance to visit the 1940s but a trip on Swanage Railway is one of those occasions! This full-size heritage railway operates a range
Once described as a ‘delicious house’ by the Queen Mother, Polesden Lacey is a gorgeous place to spend a day, with plenty of places to play and picnic.
Wellington watches over the start of Wellesley Woodlands’ brass rubbing trail, which leads you through the woods to 10 different posts and a WW1 firing wall complete
With woods and paths to explore, places to build hideouts, scooter and cycle tracks, a gorgeous waterfall, some lost ruins from Rome, and a wooden playground,
From the top of Holmbury Hill you can see London’s towers, Gatwick Airport, the South Downs and even the glistening sea. It’s only a five minute walk from the car
Scattered along the River Tillingbourne at Chilworth are what remains of the Chilworth Gunpowder Mills. Today the area has been reclaimed by nature and
Built in the sweet shop that A.A. Milne and Christopher Robin used to visit, Pooh Corner is the perfect place to stop for a smackeral of honey when exploring
Lepe Country Park is one of those rare places where you can fill an entire day with everything or nothing! If you need an energy busting day then plan on paddling,
The river meanders through River Hamble Country Park, past expensive yachts and a medieval ship wreck, play areas and a World War 2 training camp
The nautically themed River Hamble Country Park Adventure Play Area has two ships to sail, explore or capture. It has access to the River Hamble, a crabbing
Bracklesham Bay is probably the place we love to visit the most. As the tide falls, a huge stretch of sand opens up and you can find fossils just lying on the beach
Hurst Spit is a shingle bank that juts into the Solent, linking Keyhaven and Hurst Castle. It has beautiful views out towards the Isle of Wight and along the Hampshire coast.
Hurst Castle is an artillery fort that was built in the 16th century by Henry VIII to protect the Solent, Southampton and Portsmouth. It is one of the best preserved
One of the things I find fascinating about Watership Down is that Richard Adams based the rabbits’ journey on actual places that can still be visited today. Breathtaking
Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Museum celebrates Farnborough’s aviation heritage and is home to aeroplanes, helicopters, rocket parts, giant wind tunnels*
This tranquil stretch of the River Wey offers you a choice of walks – in one direction is Newark Lock and the ruins of Newark Priory and in the other is Papercourt Lock
Crooksbury Hill is guarded by Soldier’s Ring, an ancient hill fort now hidden by woodland. Climbing the hill is a mini-adventure. The steep paths rise through
The picturesque ruins of Waverley Abbey are surrounded by open fields, the River Wey and a small lake, which is home to herons, ducks and swans. Some of the
Hever Castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. It’s a picturesque castle that has everything a castle should have – a drawbridge, a moat
With picturesque views to admire, mini-beasts to discover, stepping stones to navigate and a natural play trail to tackle, Box Hill is a perfect spot for an adventure and we
The water-meadows of Runnymede are where King John sealed Magna Carta in 1215, taking a step towards freedom and modern democracy. They are also home
“Danger at Danebury Hill Fort” is a story trail that helps you to explore Danebury Hill Fort, imagine yourself living there during the Iron Age, then role play defending against
About 2,500 years ago, Danebury Hill Fort was a series of earthen ramparts, ditches and gateways protecting a central area. As you can imagine, it has a spectacular location
Shady Chawton Recreation Ground is the perfect place to play after a visit to Jane Austen’s House, which is just over the road. The play equipment includes swings,
Elizabeth I is one of my favourite historical figures so I was always going to love Hatfield House. This is where Elizabeth grew up, spent periods of house arrest,
At Tout Quarries, sculptures are hiding around every corner – and when I say hiding, I mean hiding! We have visited twice and still haven’t found every sculpture.
No one believed me when I announced we were going on a mission to discover dinosaur footprints at a place called Spyway. Our mission took us through
We were surprised by how much there is to see at Didcot Railway Centre. As well as two operational railway lines and a science exhibition, there is a turntable
150 million years ago, the Dorset coast was a shallow, tropical sea patrolled by huge marine reptiles, predators and fish. All that remains today are fossils, which
Stansted Park is one of those places that is a series of mini-adventures: an elegant house to explore, expansive parkland to discover and beautiful gardens
At Headley Heath you can follow undulating trails through heathland, woodland and chalk hillside, passing ponds, view points and WW2
When you walk around the lake at Stourhead it doesn’t take long to realise why it was once described as, ‘…a living work of art’ – from almost any
Pendon Museum houses model railways showing scenes from England during the 1920s and 1930s, some real and some imagined. The level of detail
I first fell in love with Basildon Park whilst watching Mr Bingley gaze longingly after Jane Bennet in the 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice.
Aldershot is home to the British Army so it is fitting that it has a recreation area complete with a reconstructed fort and a 32-pounder cannon and the nearby
From its hillside position, Standen House watches over flowering gardens, Sussex countryside and acres of woodland. Standen is an unusual house
As you walk through the gates of Morden Hall Park you leave behind the hectic pace of South London and step into a peaceful country estate with a watermill
Hatchlands Park is an ideal venue for a wild adventure with rolling parkland, hidden geocaches and a natural play area complete with a wooden tree house, fairy doors and an obstacle course.