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Mottistone Gardens and Estate
Enchanting gardens set in a sheltered valley and surrounded by rolling downland
Mottistone, near Brighstone, Isle of Wight, PO30 4ED
Opening times for 2 July 2025
Asset Opening time Garden 10:30 - 17:00 Countryside Dawn - Dusk Manor house Closed The Long Room in The Manor is now open to the public every day 11am - 2pm, depending on volunteer capacity. It houses a beautifully curated exhibition of baroque-style wall hangings created in the 1950s, commissioned by Lord John Seely, son of the 1st Lord Mottistone, General Jack Seely, and his partner Paul Paget.
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Ticket type With Gift Aid Without Gift Aid Adult (18+) £9.90 £9.00 Child (5-17) under 5s free £5.00 £4.50 Family (2 Adults and up to 3 children) £24.80 £22.50 1 adult family £14.90 £13.50 Group (Adult 18+) £8.55 Group (Child 5-17) £4.28 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
- Bookshop
Second-hand bookshop located within the manor.
- Car park
There is a free car park next to the gardens. Please follow the signs along the B3399. We don't allow overnight parking due to the impact on nature and wildlife, staff resource and visitors.
- Dogs allowed
Within Mottistone Gardens, dogs on leads are welcome and water bowls are located outside the visitor reception and in the tea garden. Dogs are welcome across the wider estate. Please keep your dog on a short lead around livestock.
- Plant shop
Plants are available to buy within the gardens.
- Tea-room
Tea garden within the gardens serving hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, light bites, cakes and bakes.
- Toilet
Toilets available within the gardens. Please be aware that the main toilets are closed for upgrading work and temporary facilities are currently available, including baby-changing facilities.
Blue Badge spaces are available in the car park and located close to the exit to the gardens. If you are unable to manage the steps from the car park, a drop off facility is available at the front gate. 100 yards walk to reception from car park which includes five steps and a gravel path. Garden is partly accessible with a mixture of gravel and grass paths. There are some steep slopes and steps throughout the garden. Accessible toilet. Assistance dogs welcome.
- Designated parking
Blue badge spaces are available in the car park and located close to the exit to the gardens.
- Drop-off point
A drop off facility is available at the front gate. If the blue badge holder is the driver, please contact us ahead of your visit and we can advise you on parking.
- Level access/terrain
From the car park there is a short (100 yards) walk to Visitor Reception which includes a few steps and a gravel path. The grounds of Mottistone Gardens are partly accessible with a mixture of gravel and grass paths.
- Ramped access/slopes
There are some steep slopes and steps throughout the gardens.
- Steps/uneven terrain
There are some steep slopes and steps throughout the gardens.
- By road
Located between Brighstone and Brook on B3399.
Parking: Free (National Trust), 200 yards in designated parking area.
Sat Nav: Use postcode PO30 4ED; follow brown signs for Mottistone Manor.
- On foot
1 mile north of coastal path; 1 mile south of Tennyson Trail
- By bus
Mottistone is on Southern Vectis Route 12 which runs from Newport to Alum Bay. More information can be found at www.islandbuses.info. Bus stops are located in front of the manor and at the vehicle entry point of the car park.
- Cycling
NCN67. On the 'Round the Island' cycle route
- By ferry
Yarmouth (Wightlink, 0871 376 1000) 5 miles; East Cowes (Red Funnel, 0844 844 9988) 16 miles; Ryde (Hovertravel, 01983 717700 or Wightlink,0871 376 1000) 16 miles.
Mottistone, near Brighstone, Isle of Wight, PO30 4ED
Planning your visit
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Article
Visiting Mottistone Gardens with your dog
Discover all about visiting Mottistone, Isle of Wight, with your four-legged friend. Mottistone Gardens is a one pawprint rated place.
Highlights
Garden
Set in a sheltered valley with herbaceous borders, exotic plants, olive grove and organic kitchen garden, surrounding an ancient manor.
Estate
A network of paths crosses the estate, from the sea up to the top of the downs. Neolithic Longstone, fort and barrows.
Historic buildings
Take in the exterior of Mottistone Manor from the gardens, and see The Shack, a cabin retreat used as an architects' summer drawing office.
Eating
Takeaway hot and cold drinks, light snacks and seating in the tea-garden.
Spotlight events
Yoga in the Gardens
Celebrate the Summer Solstice and harness the energy around the longest day of the year at Mottistone Gardens. Enjoy the beauty of the gardens from a fresh perspective, making the most of the light and abundance of nature.
Nature Journalling at Mottistone Gardens
Join us for a day of art and nature at National Trust Mottistone Gardens and Estate. Nestled in a sheltered valley with magical gardens and vibrant borders, it's the perfect setting to create a nature journal.
Things to see and do
Article
Explore the garden at Mottistone Gardens and Estate
Discover a garden packed full of interest with deep flower borders, wandering paths, clipped hedging, an orchard and far-reaching views to the sea.
Article
Things to see and do for families in Mottistone Gardens
Discover the family-friendly things you can get up to in Mottistone Gardens. From exploring the gardens and woods, to ever changing trails, there's always something to keep little visitors entertained.
Article
The Shack at Mottistone Gardens and Estate
The Shack was a neat, compact retreat for 1930s architects Seely & Paget where they designed projects like Eltham Palace. It is still furnished as it would have been in their time.
Article
Exploring the estate at Mottistone
With wide-open spaces and far-reaching views, there is plenty to do on the estate from walking and cycling to discovering remains of a Neolithic long barrow.
Eating
Article
Eating at Mottistone Gardens
The tea-garden has treats for you to savour. Take a break from wandering the garden and relax with a refreshing drink, a slice of homemade cake, a cream tea, or a light lunch.
Top trails
Trail
A climb to the common at Mottistone
The views from the heather-covered Mottistone Common are the highlight of this walk, which also takes in a mysterious ancient monument.
Trail
A Mottistone meander: south to the sea
A circular walking route that takes you south from Mottistone Gardens to the coastal cliffs at Sudmoor Point.
Places to stay
Mottistone Manor Farmhouse
A beautifully restored farmhouse with plenty of space for the whole family and a large garden.
Mottistone Rose Cottage
A large private garden and roses tumbling across its stone front make this cottage a stunning place to stay.
Longstone Cottage
An ‘off the grid' period cottage that takes you back in time, Longstone is a rural hideaway set halfway up Mottistone Down.
1 Compton Farm Cottages
A farm worker’s cottage a short walk from Compton Bay and with views of chalky cliffs and grazing cows.
2 Compton Farm Cottages
One half of a pair of farm workers’ cottages close to Compton Bay close to the best surfing spots.
Newtown Cabin
Set in a quiet backwater on the Newtown National Nature Reserve, this rustic, cosy cabin is surrounded by coastal paths and meadows, so it’s the perfect spot for a nature-filled break.
Pomone
Right on top of the cliffs on the Needles headland, this spacious cottage has uninterrupted views of the sea, glorious sunsets and the night sky.
Varvassi
On the Needles headland, this characterful former coastguard’s house has views of the sea, the sunset and the night sky.
Upcoming events
Event
Nature Journalling at Mottistone Gardens
This workshop will show you how to capture your nature observations in a beautiful little nature journal. Join us on the 2nd and 3rd of July - Booking essential.
About Mottistone Gardens and Estate
The gardens
Set in a sheltered valley these magical gardens are full of surprises, with shrub-filled banks, hidden pathways and colourful herbaceous borders.
Created from an abandoned farmyard and surrounding an attractive Elizabethan manor house, these 20th-century gardens are experimenting with a Mediterranean-style planting scheme to take advantage of the warm, southerly location. Here the tall leaves of exotic plants fill the borders whilst a young olive grove is establishing itself on the high banks.
From late spring to early autumn, the borders burst with bright reds, purples and oranges and a small organic kitchen garden is stocked with seasonal fruit and veg.
The estate
Stretching from the chalk downs through rolling hedge-lined farmland and down to the sea, the wider Mottistone Estate is a landscape shaped over thousands of years. Follow the network of footpaths that criss-cross the area and you’ll travel back in time past Bonze Age barrows and the Neolithic Longstone.
Today the land is still cared for in a nature-sensitive way. Walk along any of the paths and you might spy butterflies gathering nectar from wild flowers, or rare birds in the wide skies overhead. In the summer, the elusive Nightjar even makes its home here on the common.
Next to Mottistone Gardens you’ll find the car park and bus stop, which are good places to start your visit. There are many well marked paths to choose from and large expanses of open downland to wander freely over.
History
Article
The history of Mottistone Gardens and Estate
There has been a dwelling on the site of Mottistone for over a thousand years. Discover how it evolved over centuries of changes and how it came through disaster.
Support us
Volunteer with us
Search for live volunteering opportunities, or register your interest with Mottistone Gardens and Estate.