Most Popular Isle of Wight School Trip Group Activities in Ventnor

Blackgang Chine

Land of Adventure

The rightly-named "Land of Imagination" with many different attractions in one park. Everything from nursery rhyme characters through to pirates, cowboys, fairies, goblins and life-sized animatronic dinosaurs!

Add in a few thrill rides and you have the perfect mix for a fun day out!

A fertile base for activity play and learning, suspend disbelief and enjoy all the quirks you will experience at Blackgang - the kids will love it!

Bonchurch

Chocolate Box Village

Bonchurch is a chocolate-box village sitting at the foot of very steep cliffs on a stable landslip and was home to a prehistoric race of peoples, Romans, Saxons and Normans, with one of the churches reported to have been present since the 9th century. It is less than a mile from the Victorian seaside resort of Ventnor.

Some of Bonchurch's most famous residents include Charles Dickens, who wrote part of David Copperfield whilst staying locally, and the poet Algernon Swinburne who lived at East Dene, a large house alternately used as a convent, family home, hotel and outdoor education centre.

Chale & Blackgang

Smugglers Haven

Located at the foot of St Catherine's Down, Chale is a village with 3 manor houses recorded in the Domesday Book, with its parish church St Andrew's founded in 1114.

The coast around Chale is famous for a large number of shipwrecks which of course attracted the attention of smuggler gangs, which legends suggest might be the origin of the hamlet of Blackgang's name.

Most of Blackgang village has fallen into the sea over the past 150 years and plucky visitors can even observe parts of Blackgang Chine theme park that have been abandoned as the attraction has gradually moved inland over the decades.

Isle Of Wight Donkey Sanctuary

IW Donkey Sanctuary

A registered charity providing a secure, peaceful and happy home for donkeys, horses and ponies which have been neglected, abandoned or are in need of lifetime care.

Each donkey is a real character and visiting them is always a joy for animal lovers.

Schools can book a hands-on session to get up close and personal with these lovely creatures.

St Lawrence Undercliff

Cretaceous Landslide Complex

St Lawrence Undercliff is a 5 mile long landslide complex in cretaceous soft rocks, slipped clays and sands. It is the largest urban landslide complex in northern Europe.

Stretching from Niton to Bonchurch, its sheltered south facing location gives rise to a microclimate considerably warmer than elsewhere on the Island. Still prone to landslips and subsidence this is an ideal location to study coastal erosion.

Stokey's Solar System Walk

Scale model of the solar system

Stokey's Solar System Walk is a 1-kilometre seafront stroll from Bonchurch to Ventnor where you will find a scale model of the solar system laid out on a scale of 1 inch to 100,000 miles!

Starting from the Sun, the walk to Pluto takes a thousand paces, equivalent to 3.6 billion miles. By the time you reach Pluto, you will no longer be able to see the Sun. Each model has interpretation signs setting out key facts about each star or planet.

The Model Village, Godshill

Miniature Fun

The Model Village at Godshill is jam-packed full of meticulously and humourously crafted scale models of the local area in the early part of the 20th century. Leave the hustle and bustle of modern life at the gate and keep your eyes peeled for little islanders at work and play!

This place is a goldmine for teachers looking for ways to deliver a variety of topics in a unique setting - for example the fixed scale used throughout the site lends itself to maths and geometry puzzles. Art and Design students can study the model making process, methods and techniques. Scientists can study the botany of thousands of manicured bonsai shrubs and trees. There's even a nod to renewable energy.

The Pepperpot

Medieval Lighthouse

This 11 metre high slender tower made up of a square shaft and an 8-sided pyramidical roof stands on one of the highest parts of the Isle of Wight overlooking the English Channel and the famous chalk cliff downs leading to The Needles.

Affectionately known as “The Pepperpot”, but formally called St Catherine’s Oratory, this shell of a medieval lighthouse is reached by a fairly steep uphill walk over rough ground from a car park near Blackgang Chine. Therefore its suitability for mobility impaired visitors is questionable, especially during or soon after inclement weather.

Ventnor

Wall Lizard Capital of the UK

Lying underneath 241m high St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea, Ventnor's sheltered location results in more sunny days and fewer frosts than most of the UK.

Famously a site of World War 2 radar stations, Ventnor is now home to the largest British colony of wall lizards!

Ventnor Botanic Garden

Subtropical and Exotic

Nestling in the microclimate of the undercliff, this garden has a subtropical and exotic plant collection unlike any other in the UK.

Britain's hottest garden, Ventnor Botanic is becoming increasingly relevant in the face of the 'Climate Emergency' - how we garden, how we practice plant conservation, and how we operate are becoming as important as the plants themselves.