The Botanic Gardens boasts a large collection of rare and exotic plants and lies at the heart of Ventnor Undercliff, a remarkable microclimate on the south coast that averages around five degrees warmer than the rest of the UK. ‘Britain’s Hottest Garden’ talks of itself as an experiment to understand which plants are likely to thrive in the warmer UK of the future. Founded by Sir Harold Hillier it is the site of various national collections and some of the biggest specimens of Giant Amazonian Waterlilies in the world are grown in its large tropical house. The warmer climate has also attracted amazing wildlife such as wall lizards, slow worms and Iberian ants. A guided tour of a Victorian tunnel heralding from the days when the site was a National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest leads down to the sea. Check for more details here
Whilst you are on the Isle of Wight why not try:
Walk to the Isle of Wight’s highpoint on St Boniface Down
Enjoy a swim and crab pasty at Steephill Cove
The Needles and Tennyson Down circular walk
Circular walk St Catherine’s Oratory
