Things for kids to do in the Solent area

Ruffles

Ruffles

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Joined
26 Feb 2004
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Location
Boat: Portsmouth, Us: Stewkley
www.soulbury.demon.co.uk
A while ago I started a thread on things for kids to do in the Solent. Lots of kind people responded with ideas which I duly summarised and took with us on a week away.

Just thought I'd repay the favour to some extent by posting my notes. Some are word for word and some I've embellished with links, opening times etc. We're off again next week for 2 weeks!

General information

Beaches
The one we use is Bembridge. Good for kite flying too.

Buses or buy a timetable from any newsagent
Southern Vectis Enquiries (01983) 532373
Trains:
Map
Electric Train Times
Link to steam trains at Smallbrook Junction
Steam Railway Telephone: 01983 882204
Talking Timetable Service: 01983 884343

Yarmouth-Needles Battery
Open top bus from Yarmouth up to Needles Battery
20 Mar–30 Jun 10:30–5 Mo Tu We Th Sa Su
1 Jul–31 Aug 10:30–5 Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 Sep–30 Oct 10:30–5 Mo Tu We Th Sa Su
Tea-room!
Bus: Southern Vectis 42 Yarmouth-Needles Battery

Dinosaur Isle
Good for wet weather
Sandown
Tel: 01983 404344

Carisbrooke Castle and Museum near Newport
Museum and castle open 10am to 5pm 7 days a week
Tea Room!!!
Jousting 16 August 2005 - 17 August 2005 and 23 August 2005 - 24 August 2005 - 01983 522107
Yarmouth for a bus to Carisbrooke Castle at Newport - donkeys on the treadmill do still pull the water up from the well!

Porthester Castle
Upriver from Portsmouth. Any ideas where you can park a boat?
24 Mar-30 Sep 10am-6pm MonTueWedThurFriSatSun

Yarmouth planetarium and sealife aquarium (min walk from harbour but along beach so don’t take a pushchair!)
Fort Victoria Marine Aquarium Telephone (01983) 760283
Aquarium
Planetarium
Public shows in school holidays from 10.30 until 4.30 (01983) 761555

Hill Head Harbour and Haven (TIDAL harbour)

Osborne House
Bus from Cowes?
10am-6pm MonTueWedThurFriSatSun

Anchor off Alum Bay (or bus from Yarmouth) for funfair and chairlift ride to/from the beach. Bottles to collect coloured sands?

Bucklers Hard - boat building village and for scenic walk up the river to Beaulieu (about 2 miles) and then visit the National Motor museum.

Ocean Village (Cinema)

Ryde (fun fair / train rides / waltzing water etc)(TIDAL)

Littlehampton (fish and chips / train / funfair etc)

Royal Victoria Country Park (train / play area)

Studland bay - good anchorage with Poole and Brownsea Island nearby

Calshot Activities Centre
For older kids

Hurst Castle is well worth a look.
April (or Easter, if earlier) – September: Daily – 10.30am to 5.30 pm
October: Daily – 10.30 am to 4.00 pm
Entry - Adult £3.00: Child £1.80: Senior £2.70
Geat fun watching all the boats going past! and kids love the walk along the shingly beach from Keyhaven. Then there is a little ferry that goes back and forth between Keyhaven and the castle. If you don't fancy taking your boat into Keyhaven, then in season there is a ferry between Keyhaven and Yarmouth.
Ferries depart Keyhaven on the hour and return from Hurst Castle on the half-hour until 5.30pm
Yarmouth ferry:
Keyhaven – Yarmouth 10.30, 12.00 & 14.15.
Yarmouth – Keyhaven 11.15, 14.45 & 17.00
Return fares, Adult: £8.50 Children: £4.80 Seniors: £8.00

East Head in Chichester Harbour for sun and sand (no sex ‘cos you have children remember?).

Submarine Museum Porstmouth (Well I enjoyed it).
Victory, Warrior and Mary Rose (Portsmouth)
 
The only things I can see you've missed is the classic boat museum at Newport, which is more for dad than the kids. If you stop at the Folly then its on the way by foot to Carisbrooke. Also "Explosion" and other museums in Gosport.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Louder than my kids??

[/ QUOTE ]Not if they're anything like mine used to be. Now those that haven't moved out go out, so I can't hear them, but I suspect they're still just as noisy!!

Not really for kids, unless of a historical or architectural bent, but may I add Portchester Castle?

Also, vague memories of having been told there are lots of things for kids in Ryde
 
Portchester Sailing Club has a visitor pontoon in place for a while just opposite the castle. Club does receive visitors on Wednesday and Friday evenings and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Very handy for a walk round the castle!
 
Why go to all that bother when you could drop them off on the M27 and let them play in the traffic?
 
My eldest daughter (9) thoroughly enjoyed watching her younger sister (6) being very sea sick on the way to Yarmouth yesterday.

One thing you missed out on your list of things at Yarmouth is "Britain's Biggest Model Railway". I haven't actually seen it but it was a frequent topic of conversation and speculation on the way out.
 
Did you miss

Portsmouth Dockyard

Victory, Warrior (my kids' personal favourite when they were that age) & Hairy Nose, sorry Mary Rose.

Also Gunwharf Quays - good shops with bargains, chain eateries and cinema.

Probably easiest to park in one of the Gosport marinae, and pop over on the Ferry.
 
Re: Ooh and...

...cycle rides in the New Forest (catch Brockenhurst Flyer from Lymington Town station, bike hire in Brockenhurst station yard). You can turn this into a safari - major wildlife includes ponies, cows, donkeys, deer,

Take the boat into Keyhaven and you walk or take a ferry to Hurst Castle if the ankle biters are into fortifications'n'stuff.
 
Re: Ooh and...

[ QUOTE ]
...Lymington Lido open air swimming pool.

[/ QUOTE ] Can be b****y cold, but its good fun looking over the edge of he pool to see ferries going by.

My daughter used to be fascinated by the Outspan Orange car in the Beaulieu Motor Museum.

A walk from Yarmouth, up river and across the golf course, to Freshwater Bay, continuing, after a pint, over Tennyson Down, to the Needles Battery, is very nice. It is also a pleasant walk back across moor land as far as Totland/Colwell, but you might as well hop on a bus from there.
 
Re: Ooh and...

Portchester Castle, well you could stop at PS, if you are wealthy:-) Dockyard aslo has Action Stations which is great for the more gung ho. Climbing sim, canoeing sim and quite a lot of gunfight sims.

Southsea Castle, Bootnecks Museum at Eastney, Model Village (if you really must!) and don't forget Fort Nelson, big guns (and that includes battlewagon and SuperGun stuff).
 
If reasonable spring tides, Bumbling around in a dinghy is great fun up the creeks off the Newtown river or up to Beaulieu from Bucklers hard or around the Keyhaven river. Fairly safe too.
Ken
 
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