Fort Victoria Country Park — Attraction in Freshwater

Easy to find and lots of good free parking. This Old Fort now converted into a super yet simple attraction which begs a visit. We loved the Planetarium and the Shows plus a lovey exhibition including Real Moon Rock. Richard Hooke (an amazing inventor and all round mega brain) exhibition here too from The Hooke Society. All in 2 Adults & 2 Children £20.00 but excellent educational value. Next we visited the Reptiles, insects and Terrapins (Adults £6, Children £4) a fascinating range of spooky reptiles in display settings plus Snakes all explained and described. The 20 or so Terrapins are shown in a big tank and again explained - one of our group especially like watching a Preying-mantis Stick insect dismember and eat a living locust!! Amazing entertainment.

We had coffee and a beautiful Blueberry & Lemon cake locally made in the cafe reasonably priced with nice option to sit inside or outside overlooking the Solent.

Outside a large green grass expanse to walk or sit on benches watching the craft in The Solent. Afternoon sun would seem to suit this site best.

The free loos are small but enough and clean which was noted and appreciated.

All in all a very pleasant 4 hours indeed

Glad we went

SNEEKY TIP - walk 50 meters along shale stone beach to a BEACH BAR for booze (well...

The Good, Bad & The Ugly

The Good - As a local resident, the Fort and the seaviews are great. The Country Park has nice tracks to take a stroll. The ever friendly Cafe Verde have a good selection of food and drink with outside seating to while the time away.

The Bad - The area around the carpark is a little unkept and looks rundown. As a tourist attraction, more should be done to make this more appealing. Pruning and shaping the carpark hedges would be a start. Come on, we can do better. Maybe a residents group could help.

The Ugly - Despite there being a dog poo bin at the Fort, some dog owners find it beneath them to pick up their dogs poop on the green and along the shingle beach. It's not nice to look at and it's not nice to walk in.. Note to dog owners:- Do the right thing and pick up after your dog. How long is the White Mercedes van in the corner going to be parked there? The carpark has a 24 hour limit, it's been parked there and not moved for 3 years plus.....

A peaceful woodland and coastal walk, half an hours walk along the coastal path from Yarmouth. Great dog walks, stunning views across Hurst narrows with vistas from the Needles to Yarmouth with the Purbecks and New Forest Coast in view at various points. Mostly Holm oak woods, good underfoot in the dry but looks to be clayey in the rainy season. We saw no squirrels in mid summer, no pine trees but maybe better in acorn season. The Fort has a cafe, large green area and beach. Access to the beach becomes restricted as you approach Fort Albert with private holiday homes. The Circular walk continues in open farmland but there's a signposted higher woodland walk back to the entrance. Paths are well maintained. Don't miss the ...