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Ventnor Botanic Gardens
About 35 minutes from park
About Ventnor Botanic Gardens
Whether you’re a keen gardener after some inspiration for your own home, or you just love looking at beautiful blooms, don’t skip the Ventnor Botanic Garden. It’s one of the most beautiful outdoor attractions on the Isle of Wight and a wonderful place to spend a sunny day surrounded by lush greenery and unique tropical plants.
What to see at Ventnor Botanic Garden
You’ll find the beautiful Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight’s south coast. It’s surrounded by the dramatic Ventnor Undercliff which shelters it from chilly coastal winds. The attraction has even been labelled “Britain’s hottest garden” as it’s in its own microclimate that’s thought to be about 5˚C warmer than the rest of the UK! Once the site of the Victorian Royal Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, the gardens themselves were opened in 1971 and are now teeming with fascinating flora and fauna.
Wander along secret pathways and pass exotic plant species sourced from far flung destinations such as New Zealand, Japan and the Caribbean. Don’t miss the Tropical House which houses some of the largest Amazonian waterlilies on the planet in its pools! The Ventnor Botanic Garden’s tunnel is also an unmissable sight. Accessed only on guided tours (usually beginning at 2:00pm), it’s a 350 feet long passage cut through the rock that leads from the old hospital site down to the sea. Animal lovers are also well-catered for at Ventnor Botanic Garden; spot wall lizards scuttling along the cliffs in the Mediterranean Garden and look out for red squirrels climbing in the trees.
Visiting the island with your pooch? Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the gardens, too! If you’re feeling peckish during your visit, make a beeline for the Ventnor Botanic Garden café where you can tuck into sandwiches or light snacks on its sun-soaked terrace. Fan of craft beer and ale? Make sure you check out the hops garden which is used to make the garden’s own beer and ale during the summer months. Ventnor Botanic Gardens even has a wonderful art gallery which exhibits work from local artists, plus a great gift shop where you can buy seeds, plants and other botanical-themed souvenirs.
How to get to Ventnor Botanic Gardens
Ventnor Botanic Garden is nestled on the Isle of Wight’s south coast and is just outside the village of Ventnor. You can reach it from Newport in 25 minutes by taking the A3020 south. Once you reach Blackwater, turn right and continue down the A3020 until you get to the junction at Rookley. Turn off on to Niton Road and stay on it for approximately seven minutes before turning on to Southford Lane. At the next junction, head south along High Street which then merges into Whitwell Road. After a few minutes, you’ll come to a triangle intersection; turn right down St Lawrence Shute. Take the next left onto Seven Sisters Road and follow it all the way down to Undercliff Drive. Turn left and look out for the garden on your right-hand side.