A great family day out, rain or shine!

RockpoolingWoodland walks

Fossil huntsNature trail

Wildlife watching

Nature at Fort Victoria Geology History

FortVictoriaCPFortVictoriaCountryPark

*There is a charge for some activities and attractions, please see website for more information. Activities and attractions subject to availability, please

check website for up-to-date information and news on special events.

PO41 0RRfortvictoria.co.uk

01983 760860

2110EE 05/14 CJ

Fort Victoria Country Park Westhill Lane, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, PO41 0RR

• Extensive woodland and beach to explore.• Four indoor attractions, plus licensed café.• Free parking and toilets,

including accessible toilet.• Dogs are welcome on the

beach all year round; please pick up after your dog.

Visitor attractions Great places to visit - whatever the weather!

Sunken Secrets

Island Planetarium

Verdi’s Cafe

Marine Aquarium

Model Railway

FREE

PARKING

FREE ENTRY TO

THE COUNTRY

PARK*

Coastal Country ParkThere are twenty hectares of native woodland around the fort for you to explore. The Isle of Wight’s coastal footpath runs through the wood, which is home to red squirrels, dormice and bats, together with many other native and visiting wildlife. Around the park are viewpoints with wonderful views of Hurst Castle and The Needles.

The beach is great for rock pooling and fossil hunting – you might find a shark’s tooth or pieces of turtle shell.

The beach is also a popular spot for fishing, although it is not suitable for swimming due to the fast currents.

RocksThe Isle of Wight is formed from many layers of sedimentary rock later folded by global plate movements. About 70 million years ago the North Atlantic began to widen, the Earth’s crust each side of the new ocean began to jostle into new positions forcing Africa northwards into Europe. This pressure caused substantial buckling of the Earth’s crust – forming the Alps and folding the Island to form the South Downs and central Downs. The youngest rocks on the Island were deposited in a shallow basin on its northern half – the oldest rocks remained to the south.

FossilsThe cliffs at Fort Victoria are from the boundary of the Oligocene and Eocene around 34 to 32 million years ago. At that time the northern coast was covered by a large shallow lagoon that stretched north into the New Forest and westwards towards Poole. The southern half of the Island consisted of low hills. The warm climate was home to reptiles, birds, mammals and many insects. Along the beach at Fort Victoria you can still find fossilized turtle shell, alligator armour and teeth, and thousands of broken white shells. Today these animals live in warmer lands much further to the south.

The diverse woodlands, cliffs and foreshore at Fort Victoria Country Park are home to many species of plants and animals.

Follow the trail to find out about the woodland wildlife or, if the tide is out, head for the shore to explore the rockpools.

Fort Victoria Situated a short distance from Yarmouth, overlooking the Solent, Fort Victoria has had a long and interesting history.

It was built for military use to defend the Solent from French invasion, and the remains of the Victorian fort are now classed as a Grade 2 listed building.

From the fort - particularly from the roof - are spectacular views of the Solent, across to Hurst Castle and the New Forest National Park.

• Victorian Fort completed in 1855. • Used by the military from 1855 to 1962• Fantastic views of the Solent.• Original cannons, including one on a replica

mount. • Pleasant grassy area suitable for picnics,

and barbecues (by arrangement).

car parktoilets

owl gladefossil hunting

rock pools

Birds The woodland at the park is a great place for bird watching. You’re likely to see common birds such as robins, pigeons, blue tits, blackbirds and green woodpeckers. Soaring above the wood you might spot a raptor, maybe a buzzard or a kestrel - or possibly even a peregrine falcon, one of the country park’s regular visiting migratory birds.

Red squirrelIf you are lucky you may see a red squirrel. A squirrel’s big bushy tails help it to balance when climbing and moving in trees. Squirrels live in a nest ball known as a drey. Females can have two litters a year, with three or four ‘kittens’ in each litter. Squirrels like to eat nuts, seeds, berries, fungus and sometimes birds’ eggs.

Bats The bats at the park show that there is a healthy food chain and habitat in the area. The park’s plants and trees provide habitat and food for insects and other small animals, which in turn are food for the bats.

Around the world the word for “bat” is often associated with mouse, describing them as flying mice. The Isle of Wight word for a bat is “rattle mouse”.

Dormice Dormice are only found in the southern counties of England, including the Isle of WIght. Dormice are nocturnal and have large eyes and a good sense of smell to find food and avoid predators. They eat flowers, fruit and nuts, and can double in weight before hibernating at the start of the winter. They are very agile and climb in bushes and trees, rarely going on the ground.

ButterfliesThere is a great variety of wildflowers on the slopes which are a magnet for butterflies. Look out for tortoiseshell, peacock, red admiral, common blue, meadow brown, speckled woodland, and the black and white marbled white.

MinibeastsRangers use felled wood to create habitat piles. These wood piles are home to invertebrates, including spiders, ants, woodlice, bees and wasps, moths and butterflies.

Marine creatures• At low tide look out for

limpets and sea anemones on the rocks.

• In the rock pools you might find shore crabs, small fish and shrimps.

• There will be the remains of marine creatures washed up along the strand line, including sea shells, crab shells and cuttlefish bones.

Sea birdsMany types of sea bird can be spotted on the coast. You might see a cormorant drying its wings on the rocks, terns diving for fish, oystercatchers probing in the sand, plus several types of seagull.

On the shoreThe beach at Fort Victoria is a fascinating place, with sandy stretches and rocky pools as well as ever-changing views of the busy Solent.

On the beach there is much to look for. There are around 700 different seaweeds in British waters; they are grouped by colour - either red, brown or green.

Look in rock pools for shore crabs, sea anemones, limpets, shrimps and small fish.

Along the strand line, where the high tides comes up to, you might find cuttlefish bones, discarded crab shells and whelk egg cases. You may also find a mermaid’s purse - the egg cases of dogfish and rays, plus many different shells.

On the slopesThere are many wildflowers in the woodland glades and on the slopes. You may find harts tongue fern and horsetails; these are ancient plants which have changed little since the days of the dinosaurs.

You’ll also find several types of orchid including spotted, southern marsh and occasionally bee orchids. They are beautiful plants; please leave them for others to enjoy.

The trees on the slopes become bent and stunted by their exposed position; many have fallen or slipped because of the erosion.

The landslip area is ideal habitat for adders, which like to bask in a sunny spot.

Owl gladeAt this clearing in the woods there are bird and bat boxes in the trees, and bats can be seen flying round at dusk.

You may find a chewed fir cone in the glade; nibbled by red squirrels to get to the seeds

Eurasian brown bearBrown bears can grow up to 2.8m long and weigh up to 700kg. Brown bears like to eat fruit, nuts, insects and mammals. Brown bears hibernate depending on the weather; in warmer climates the may not hibernate at all. The Eurasian brown bear became extinct in England around 1,000 years ago, so you will not see any in our woods…if you do, please let the ranger know!

WoodlandThe woodland at Fort Victoria is recently established, having grown up since the Second World War. Before then, the coast was kept clear so that the military could keep an eye on the channel. There are still signs of old fortifications in the woodland, including a pit which was the entrance to underground engine rooms.

The woodland is mixed, with oak, ash, alder, birch, willow, sycamore, wych elm, holm oak and hazel. There are also plenty of pine trees; lying around at the base of the pines you will probably find pinecones that have been chewed by red squirrels in order to get the edible sees out.

AdderAdders are not aggressive and prefer to move away when humans or their dogs walk near them in the park. Although they are venomous, adders only bite in self defence, such as when someone tries to pick them up; the bite can be painful but is not fatal.

Adders can grow up to 90cm long, on their diet of rats and mice. Females are usually brown, the male showing darker colours. They are shy and timid creatures and we are glad they have found a home in our park.