Mottistone

There's lots of variety to explore on the Mottistone Estate which stretches from the chalk downs through rolling hedge lined farmland to the sea.

There is a car park and bus stop next to Mottistone Manor Garden which is a good place to start your visit. It's a great place to walk with many well marked paths to choose from and good expanses of open downland to wander freely over.

There is evidence of human occupation of the landscape going back 6,000 years to Neolithic times. The wildlife of the estate has adapted to thousands of years of farming and because the land is farmed in an environmentally sensitive way the area is still full of farmland birds and other wildlife.

Gardens

Set in a sheltered valley this magical garden is full of surprises, with shrub-filled banks, hidden pathways and colourful herbaceous borders.

Surrounding an attractive Elizabethan manor house this 20th-century garden is experimenting with a Mediterranean-style planting scheme to take advantage of its southerly location.

Other surprises include a young olive grove, a small organic kitchen garden and a traditional tea garden set alongside The Shack, a unique cabin retreat designed as their summer drawing office by architects John Seely (2nd Lord Mottistone) and Paul Paget.