20 Attractions to Explore Near Calbourne Water Mill

The Longstone is a beautiful megalithic monument near the village of Mottistone. It consists of two pieces of local greensand sandstone probably from a vein 100 metres away. The larger stands at 3.9 metres and the smaller lies at its foot. It has now been shown that the stones are what remains of a 6,000-year-old Neolithic communal long barrow for burying the dead.

This town hall in the former medieval borough of Newtown was built in c.1699 and has late 18th-century alterations. After many years of neglect the building was repaired in 1933 under the supervision of John Eric Miers Macgregor OBE, a specialist conservation architect who managed to save the derelict structure.

A beautiful sandy beach which was located beside the coast road between Freshwater Bay and Brook. It offers a two-mile stretch of contrasting golden and dark sands snuggled between rolling surf and multi-coloured sandstone cliffs. The bay is popular with wave and kite surfers due to the waves that form when the prevailing south-westerly wind is blowing onshore.

A prime location for surfing and watersports, but its sandy beach and fine views over to Tennyson Down and The Needles make it ideal for just a day on the beach. Compton is a great place to pick up fossils, including those of dinosaurs, and you can book tours on the beach to see the dinosaur footprints in the sandstone ledge and also there are opportunities for so many other leisure activities too.

Yarmouth Castle is an artillery fort built by Henry VIII in 1547 to protect Yarmouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight from the threat of French attack. Just under 100 feet across, the square castle was initially equipped with 15 artillery guns and a garrison of 20 men. It featured an Italianate "arrow-head" bastion on its landward side; this was very different in style from the earlier circular bastions used in the Device Forts built by Henry and was the first of its kind to be constructed in Englan

Thorness Bay is an 86.2 hectare Site of special scientific interest which is located on the north-west coast of the Isle of Wight, England, in the western arm of the Solent. The site was notified in 1966 for both its biological and geological features. The bay stretches about 3 km from Salt Mead Ledge in the west to Gurnard Head to the east.

Dimbola was the home of the celebrated Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. It is now a museum and galleries dedicated to her life and work, which also showcases contemporary exhibitions from photographers around the globe. The gallery hosts an annual programme of exhibitions on contemporary photography and art, as well as a permanent display on the history of the Isle of Wight music festival including original memorabilia.

Carisbrooke Castle Museum is the only public museum in the UK founded by a member of the Royal family and is an accredited local history museum run by an independent Charitable Trust. It was founded as a memorial to Princess Beatrice’s husband, Prince Henry of Battenberg, who had died during the Ashanti campaign in 1896 and it holds many important collections that is connected with the history of the Isle of Wight, including social history, medieval history and so more.

Carisbrooke Castle has been an artillery fortress, king's prison and a royal summer residence. Today it’s the quintessential romantic castle, with lots to see and enjoy. Most famously, Charles I was held prisoner here during the Civil War, shortly before his execution. Since then Carisbrooke Castle has remained a symbolic centre for the island, not least as the residence of its governor.

Fort Victoria was built between 1852 and 1855 as one of a series of defences built to protect the western end of the Solent. It was a brick-built triangular fort with two seaward batteries meeting at a right angle. It remained in use until 1962. Parts of the fort were subsequently demolished. The Fort’s brick casemates currently host a series of indoor family attractions including a cafe, reptilarium and planetarium.

Colwell Bay is one of many picturesque beaches in West Wight, offering spectacular views back across the Solent to mainland England. It is also a popular beach for various watersports such as windsurfing and canoeing. For those looking for a more relaxing time beach huts and deck chairs are available for hire.

Newport Minster is a parish church serving at the heart of Newport and the Isle of Wight, where anyone and everyone is welcome. It’s fascinating history has links to Carisbrooke Castle, Osborne House and the Royals. Follow it from the Middle Ages, through Elizabethan times, the Civil War and Queen Victoria right up to the present day.

The Quay Arts Centre is the Isle of Wight’s leading art gallery and venue for live arts events. It is situated in a converted 19th Century brewery warehouse complex located at the head of the River Medina in the centre of Newport. The complex features three art galleries, a crafts shop, a 134 capacity theatre, conferencing facilities and a cafe and was fully refurbished in 1997 by architect Tony Fretton. The Quay Arts owns and operates Jubilee Stores, also located on Newport Quay.

Tennyson Trail is a beautiful 21.4 kilometer moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Newport, Isle of Wight, England that features beautiful wildflowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, running, and nature trips. One of the good trekking destinations and also you can spend some good time in the middle of nature.

Tennyson Down is a life-enhancing place, where you can enjoy striding over the springy, flower-rich turf in the footsteps of poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892). This grassy, whale-backed ridge of chalk which rises to 482 ft/147m above sea level. It is part of the chalk ridge that forms the backbone of the Isle of Wight, this ridge extends to the west for 3 miles.

This imposing memorial to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Victorian Poet Laureate, stands on the highest point of Tennyson Dow, a long chalk ridge with sheer cliffs on its south side. After the poet's death in 1892, a fund was set up to pay for the memorial. It stands on the site of the old Nodes signal beacon that used to give warning of invasion threats. The inscription on the memorial pillar reads: 'In memory of Alfred Lord Tennyson this Cross is raised as a beacon to sailors by the people of Fres

The Wight Military and Heritage Museum is located in Cowes. The museum holds an interesting mix of tanks, artifacts, other vehicles, small arms and a range of uniforms from the 1940's to the present day. One of the iconic attractions in this area and attracts a lot of tourists.

Hurst Spit is a shingle bank at the easternmost point of Christchurch Bay and extends 2.5km from the end of Milford beach out into the Solent. At the end of the spit is Hurst Castle, an artillery fortress originally built on the orders of King Henry VIII, and much enlarged in the 19th century. Hurst Point Lighthouse was built on the end of Hurst Spit in the 1860s.

Hurst Castle was built between 1541 and 1544 by Henry VIII as part of a chain of artillery fortresses protecting key ports and landing places around southern England. The castle was used as a prison for eminent 17th century captives, including Charles I. It was later strengthened during the 19th and 20th centuries and played a role in defending the western Solent from invasion threats from the Napoleonic Wars to the Second World War.

This Gold award-winning sanctuary is home to a diverse collection of rescued primates and birds of prey. Whooping gibbons, cheeky macaques, cute capuchins and curious owls are just some of the fantastic animals here.