Heathrow Airport 2 hr 38
Isle of Wight Zoo (10 min) Home of ITV's 'Tiger Island', with exotic animals, informative talks and 'meet the animals'. Mary Rose Museum (1 hr 29) Museum for 16th-century Tudor warship, & King Henry VIII's favourite, built in 1510 & sunk in 1545. Dinosaur Isle (9 min) Animatronic dinosaurs and 1000 of the island's best fossils in a pterodactyl-shaped building. Isle of Wight Steam Railway (14 min) Outfit preserving railway history via exhibits, train stations & rides on steam-powered locomotives. Shanklin Chine (9 min) Leafy, wooded ravine with waterfalls and abundant wildlife, plus arts heritage centre. Spinnaker Tower (1 hr 24) Landmark tower with an on-site cafe and a glass-floored platform overlooking Portsmouth harbour. The Garlic Farm (9 min) Home-grown garlic, plus garlic-inspired products and fare in a specialist farm shop with restaurant. Ventnor Botanic Garden (17 min) An unusually warm climate for Britain allows sub tropical planting in these naturalistic gardens. Osborne (22 min) Italian-inspired mansion amid lush gardens and filled with Victoria and Albert's former possessions. Carisbrooke Castle (18 min) Fine medieval castle and museum, where Charles I was imprisoned by Cromwell's Roundheads. Shanklin Beach (9 min) Scenic recreational beach offering cabanas & boat rentals, with a nearby esplanade of amusements. Brading Roman Villa (11 min) Excavated Roman courtyard villa with well-preserved mosaics and displays of finds from the site. Blackgang Chine (21 min) Cowboys, pirates, dinosaurs and fairies in themed spaces, along with roller-coasters and rides. Robin Hill (13 min) Family rides, tractor train, nature trails, falconry and events, plus a woodland tree house. Amazon World Zoo (4 min) Conservation-minded venue with over 200 species including tropical birds and meerkats. |