Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset
A boat trip has to be high on the list for one of the things to do when you’re planning a large group holiday in the UK; a boat trip to National Trust owned Brownsea Island is something else altogether, and there’s every possibility you’ll love it so much that you won’t want to go home. There’s something incredibly special about it, it’s all a bit Swallows and Amazons.
Brownsea Island is essentially a nature reserve sitting in the middle of Poole Harbour; it’s one of the few places in the UK where you can see red squirrels in their natural habitat for a start, but you might spot sika deer too. It’s where Baden-Powell set up the first Boy Scouts camp in 1907, and scouts and guides from all over the world still come here each year.
So go and catch the chain pulled ferry at Sandbanks and go on over to Brownsea for the day; there is a café there but if the weather forecast is good, take a picnic and find a quiet spot somewhere. The kids can do the Tracker Packs and tree climbing trails, and they can let off steam in the play area.
All information correct at the time of writing