Top Things to do in Hampshire
Top Hotels in Hampshire
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What to do and see in Hampshire, England: The Best Nature & Wildlife Areas
Discover the best top things to do in Hampshire, United Kingdom including Hawk Conservancy Trust, Wildgrounds Nature Reserve, Pennybridge Farm Alpacas, Pondhead Conservation Trust, New Forest National Park, Longdown Activity Farm, The Common, Winnall Moors Nature Reserve, Winchester City Mill, Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve.
Restaurants in Hampshire
1. Hawk Conservancy Trust
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3,095 reviews
The Hawk Conservancy Trust is an award winning visitor attraction set in 22 acres of woodland and wildflower meadow, there are over 130 birds of prey on view, from the tiny Pygmy Owl to the impressive Steller's Sea Eagles! Many of these birds are involved in the spectacular daily flying displays in one of the three flying arenas, whilst others are part of important breeding or environmental enrichment projects. Every visitor can meet a British bird of prey and there are extra activities during weekends and school holidays. The Hawk Conservancy Trust is a conservation charity with a mission to conserve birds of prey. The Trust has worked in the fields of conservation, education, rehabilitation and research of birds of prey for many years.
Reviewed By davquayle - Abingdon, United Kingdom
I used my Birthday Gift Voucher yesterday to visit the Trust and my wife and I came away raving about the place. The site is well laid out with visitors facilities and shop at the front of the site and various birds to see in a number of different aviaries and enclosures beyond. There was ample parking for us but as we went on a week day the Trust was not that busy so it might be different at the weekend. We were treated to interesting talks by enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable staff and stunning flying displays from a variety of birds of prey, including eagles, owls and vultures. In the case of the latter, the Trust are particularly keen to educate people about the plight of vultures in the wild and to improve their public image. Although the staff were great it was our feathered friends who were the stars. A great Birthday Gift.
2. Wildgrounds Nature Reserve
3. Pennybridge Farm Alpacas
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 172 reviews
Reviewed By R381XXmiket - Fleet, United Kingdom
This was a fantastic, although quite unusual, way to spend a morning in the middle of Autumn. The main reason for visiting this activity was because one of my daughters has been obsessed with Llamas and Alpacas (is there really much difference?) for a very long time. At this point any of you imagining that this is in any way "cute" and thinking of an 8-year-old girl loving these animals then you should prepare yourself for the news that she is in fact 22! Nonetheless, love them she did and is, alarmingly, now even more besotted after a happy 2 hours spent among her new 'friends'. The farm is well set up with a surprisingly large fleet (herd?) of Alpacas. We were expecting maybe 10 and there must have been over 100. Not only that, they come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colour schemes and are imbued with many different personalities and characters. The owners / Alpaca Keepers were interesting and knowledgeable and clearly love their fluffy headed and amusing population. Impressively, they knew the names of each and every craeture and some of them looked very similar; at least to my untrained eye. Under clear blue skies on a typically crisp British weather morning, the experience started with an introductory talk in which we learned everything you ever wanted to know about Alpacas and, for some people, a number of things that you probably didn't want to know. We then witnessed feeding time, met various groups of animals of different ages and genders before moving on to the highlight which was to walk your very own Alpaca (well technically one on a temporary loan) around a circuit of the farm ……….. on a lead! Ours was called Clyde and he was quite aloof. Overall the morning was a mixture of fun and education and the, significantly larger than I was expecting, crowd all seemed to enjoy themselves. There was definitely an element of the 'feel good factor' and we certainly left in brighter spirits than we had arrived in. Logistically the facilities are fairly basic; the car park is quite small, there is only one loo which resulted in the inevitable queueing and the anticipation of enjoying the promised free tea and coffee was somewhat hindered by the hot water running out. At the end of the walking phase the staff were very happy for people to stay and ask questions and there is a small shop with some Alpaca Merch’. I have a feeling that my daughter will become too attached to her new Alpaca sweatshirt for someone of her age. As if Alpacas, free hot drinks, sunshine and Merch’ wasn’t enough, there were also trampolining goats but that’s a story for another time.
4. Pondhead Conservation Trust
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By Newforestfan
There’s more to this inclosure once you walk around it, follow the path,, use the QR codes to access information bites and you’ll learn more about coppicing and hopefully see a buzzard and revel in the tranquility and admire the beautiful beeches.
5. New Forest National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 28 reviews
Reviewed By 950charlesf - Newtown, United Kingdom
Beautiful part of the world, plenty of opportunities to explore, even with busy traffic, the ponies are an ever present bonus.
6. Longdown Activity Farm
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 678 reviews
There's farmyard fun for the whole family at Longdown Activity Farm. Join in with a daily schedule of hands-on activities such as bottle-feeding kid goats and calves, duck feeding, and the Animal Encounter Barn where visitors can hold chicks and meet a variety of small animals - sometimes even Kunekune piglets. There are lots of larger, friendly animals to meet too. Whatever the weather, there is lots of playtime adventures to be had in the indoor and outdoor play areas which include the Straw Den and Trampoline Barn and the soft play area (these areas are currently closed following goverment guidance) When ground conditions allow, don't miss the fabulous bumpy tractor and trailer ride. No hidden extra costs for our daily schedule of activities. Make sure you visit the Longdown Farm Shop for delicious locally sourced food - a taste of the New Forest.
Reviewed By W964ZHrachaelb
What a great day out! I took my two boys here today and they loved it!! Parking is free and the entry prices are reasonable too Its the first farm where we have hand fed baby cows and goats, held ducklings, collected chicken eggs, had a tractor ride and enjoyed the farms parks and crazy golf.... so much to do to keep your little ones entertained, this place is a must visit for anyone out enjoying the New Forest
7. The Common
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 406 reviews
This 327-acre wide-open green space in the heart of Southampton is a designated "Site of Special Scientific Interest" and an excellent venue for picnicking, walking and watching wildlife.
Reviewed By 722megr - Southampton, United Kingdom
How lucky we are that the Council has protected this open space . Best time to walk is early in the morning before the less-careful folks are about. (Covid care)
8. Winnall Moors Nature Reserve
9. Winchester City Mill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 726 reviews
Winchester City Mill is a working watermill dating back to at least Saxon times; now fully restored by the National Trust, the City Mill is probably the oldest working watermill in the UK. Inside visitors can discover more about the mill’s long and fascinating history as well as see the mill in action and learn how we produce traditional stone-ground wholemeal flour using the power of the River Itchen. Our team of volunteer millers provide flour milling demonstrations every Saturday and Sunday as well as Wednesdays during the summer months. The City Mill is also home to a wide variety of wildlife including kingfishers, grey wagtails, wild trout, water voles and even otters which can be viewed from our on-site observation cameras.
Reviewed By stewartc640 - Chatham, United Kingdom
We visited the City Mill in Winchester on a short break to the city with friends. The mill is owned by the National Trust and entry is free to members. There is no car parking directly associated with the attraction but there are (pay & display) car parking in the city itself. The mill building is not large but is fully operational and there is a tremendous amount to see if you are interested in how these old industries operated. Entrance to the mill is via a small shop and here the visitor may purchase all manner of souvenirs and mementoes of their visit. After entering the mill ‘proper’ the visitor finds themselves in a large barn like area that contains the mill machinery that would have ground wheat to make flour. There is a lot of useful information concerning the history of the mil and the milling process and we also noticed that there was things for children to read and participate in, and these are set at a lower height level. Of additional interest was ‘recent’ video footage, of a family of otters that frequent one of the channels passing through the mill. Steps lead down to the water wheel itself, and on the day of our visit the river was in full flow and the mill wheel turned industriously whilst overflow water literally raced through a separate channel. Once again there was some explanatory information about the wheel including explanation of the different types of water wheel complete with interactive demonstrations. This area was truly atmospheric and as an engineer I could appreciate the amount of potential energy passing under the building and the mechanical workings of the mill harnessing this power. Another area off of the mill interior is the mill garden where the visitor may view the river passing though the mill though being a December afternoon we did not stay here too long. There is a café area off of the mill interior and this had a reasonable amount of seating for customers and also a toilet. The café served hot and cold drinks and also a good choice of snacks and our party’s spent some time her enjoying a coffee together before leaving. We enjoyed our visit here to the City mill and would recommend it to others particularly of you are interested in witnessing a working water mill or as an educational visit for school; children.
10. Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 251 reviews
Reviewed By R5284TKdavec - Portsmouth, United Kingdom
My partner and I went to Titchfield Haven today. We unwittingly turned up without booking, which we didn't realise we had to do due to the current Covid situation. The Visitor Centre very kindly looked for us and as there were a couple of spaces available, said we could come back in a short while and visit the reserve anyway! Spent several hours walking around, visiting the pond, the hides and just generally enjoying a beautiful day. Saw numerous birds, butterflies, creatures and creepy crawlies. Had a fabulous few hours and got some fantastic views around the reserve, also took my camera and managed to get some good shots too. We really should visit more often and I would thoroughly recommend a visit to anyone with any interest in nature; or anyone who just enjoys a walk with lots of peace and quiet and stunning views! Well worth a fiver each admission, the cafes great too.
