With restrictions easing, destinations and attractions are gearing up to welcome visitors safely, in line with the Government’s roadmap. Travel will be back on the agenda for 2021… so, for when the time is right, here are a few new treats to welcome visitors back.
Go wild at Exbury Gardens
More than 100 years in the making, Exbury Gardens is a spectacular collection of landscaped woodland, contemporary and formal gardens, in a riverside location. For 2021 Exbury is going wild, with a new Dragonfly Pond, designed with the help of the UK’s leading dragonfly experts, and a new River Walk, exploring previously-hidden woodland within the 200-acre New Forest garden. Exbury’s Sakura Cherry Orchard will also be open for the first time.
Sail away on a city ‘cruise’ break
While setting sail for a cruise to far flung destinations may still be a little way off, UK coastal cruising is set to return this spring, and Southampton, known as the ‘cruise capital of Europe’, is expected to be one of the stop-off destinations for new domestic sailings. The city, along with Portsmouth, will also be ‘turnaround ports’ where other UK cruises will start and finish. Extend your cruise with a city break.
Stir up a storm…
Gather up your storm chasers and be one of the first to see the brand-new world at Paultons Park – Tornado Springs! Opening this year, the exciting new adventure is set in a mid-west desert town in the American heyday of the 1950s with eight new rides to experience, including two new rockin’ rollercoaster rides – Storm Chaser and The Cyclonator. Visit this charming desert resort town at Paultons – voted the UK’s No.1 Theme Park 2016–2020 – and discover how the locals have harnessed the power of the elements. https://paultonspark.co.uk
Enjoy a safari-style stay in a new Forest Retreat
Escape to a Forest Retreat, a brand new development for 2021, at Green Hill Farm, a peaceful hideaway set over 50 acres in the beautiful countryside of the New Forest. The new stylish Safari Tents are designed for luxurious holidays for all the family, and perfect for retreating back to after a long day exploring.
Ready, teddy, go…
A remarkable personal collection of more than 250 teddy bears, some more than a century old, will be going on public display for the first time. Basingstoke’s Milestones Museum already offers a trip down memory lane, thanks to its recreated streets from Victorian times through the 1930s and 40s, Now, in a new exhibition for 2021, Milestones will host ‘Mr Simpson’s Teddy Bear Museum’ – a collection with a fascinating personal story, telling the history of teddy bears and their roles in people’s lives
Begin your understanding of The D-Day Story at LCT 7074
A visit to The D-Day Story in Southsea, Hampshire, will now start with LCT 7074 – the last surviving Landing Craft Tank (LCT) from D-Day – which, having played its part in transporting men and supplies across the English Channel, has now been restored to its former glory. Board the LCT using the ramp at the bow, which was used to unload the tanks and vehicles it carried. On board you’ll now find the Sherman and Churchill tanks which used to stand at the front of the museum.
A harmony of colour, sound and smell in Winchester Cathedral
The Winchester Cathedral Flower Festival is back for 2021, when the Cathedral, one of Europe’s finest medieval cathedrals and nestled at the heart of historic Winchester, will be transformed by spectacular floral displays. Striking and fragrant floral displays and elaborate decorative schemes aim to bring together an experience for all the senses, in a harmony of colour, sound and smell, 15th – 19th September 2021,
New deer park set to open this spring
Sky Park Farm, a family run deer farm within the South Downs National Park, is set to open as a new visitor attraction from spring 2021. The farm spans 75 acres and is currently home to over 200 red deer and will open as a new educational deer park for visitors with an outdoor adventure play area, cafe and farm shop.
Get back in the saddle for a taste of cycle heaven
From England’s newest long distance cycle trek, King Alfred’s Way, which starts and finishes in Winchester, and an epic 60 mile ‘Swiss Roll’ to leisurely family routes, Hampshire has a route to suit almost any cyclist. There are quiet country lanes, car-free tracks and bridleways to enthral both beginner and expert, all offering the chance to cycle through quintessential England, with its chalk downland, pretty villages, rich history and country pubs serving fine local food.
Not forgetting…
That Hampshire is also home to a whole host of other attractions, three historic cities, two national parks, an iconic coastline and is just a little over an hour away from London. www.visit-hampshire.co.uk
