Last year, we took a trip to Brownsea Island to try and encourage some Red Squirrels to pose for a few photographs.
It didn’t quite go to plan, but we had an amazing three and a half hours there.
Yes, only three and a half hours. Time was being restricted to the National Trust could control numbers on and off the island.
As a result, we didn’t quite get to see all we wanted, but we did have enjoy it nonetheless.
Here is a video of our time there.
Below is some useful information plus some more photographs of our time there.
Information on Brownsea Island
Location
Brownsea Island is located in Poole Harbour, and accessible by boat only.
The ferry’s can be boarded near Poole Quay and it takes about 15 minutes for the crossing.
Prices
When we visited at the end of September 2020, prices were £17.50 for an Adult and £9.50 for a child aged 5-17. Understanding 5s went free. This included the Ferry ride and access to Brownsea Island.
If you are a member of the National Trust, then I believe you only need to pay for the Ferry.
Wildlife
The main reason we visited was for a fun day out. The second reason was to try and get some shots of Red Squirrels. There is a lot of wildlife on Brownsea Island. Deer, Peacocks, and of course, Red Squirrels.
We are spoilt for grey squirrels where we live, but red ones are quite rare, and the Isle of Wight and Brownsea Island are the two of the few places you can find them.
Largely due to the absence of Grey ones!
For the Kids on Brownsea Island
Apart from the wildlife, which they will undoubtedly enjoy spotting, there is a great play park, where we stopped for lunch.
All of the apparatus in the park are made from trees that have naturally felled on the island. No plastics or unnecessary materials are used, other than of course bolts etc to hold it all together.
Summary
We really enjoyed our few hours here, but, we would have liked longer. As mentioned above, we were limited to three and a half hours, thanks to COVID and the control the National Trust had to place on numbers.
I think we will revisit one day for sure, but in the meantime, enjoy the below photos, and for a full, more detailed experience, don’t forget to check out the video above, over on my YouTube channel.
