Brownsea Island Escape

Enjoy a taste of island life on one of Britain’s favourite nature reserves where we'll stay at a secluded lodge with its own beach and kayak between islands. Brownsea Island is a nature reserve containing one of the last red squirrel colonies in Britain as well as diverse birds, deer and other wildlife.
This adventure is one of our most popular including kayaking, exploring the island and wildlife spotting. Spend a morning on the water exploring the coast of Brownsea and some other nearby islands by kayak, explore the island on foot and spot birds and deer from the wildlife hides in the nature reserve. You’re very likely to see red squirrels jumping between the trees - Brownsea is one of the last places in the UK where they can be found.
If you've never come on an EC Adventure before, they're informal, friendly and great fun. We typically have singles, couples and small sets of friends coming along, from complete beginners to adventure professionals - what we all share is a love for adventure. Ages tend to range between mid 20s and mid 40s but anyone over 18 years old and young at heart is welcome.

Day 1

On Friday night at 8pm we'll be catching a private ferry together over to the island from Sandbanks Quay ferry terminal (postcode BH13 7QN), so please make sure you get there in good time. On arrival, our bags will be taken to the accommodation so we can enjoy the short walk to the lodge. A relaxing evening meeting the group, watching the sunset from our beach or taking a walk to the nearby clifftop viewpoints.

Day 2

Saturday will start with a cooked breakfast and an optional half-day kayaking session led by qualified instructors starting right from the beach at the bottom of our garden! We'll spend the morning exploring the Brownsea coastline and do some island-hopping, back in time for lunch. The rest of the afternoon we will explore the many paths and trails around the island, winding through woodland, heath, green fields and along secluded beaches - all the while watching out for the elusive red squirrels and shy sika deer. If the weather is good we'll get a BBQ going on saturday night, and spend the evening relaxing together. After dinner we can don our headtorches and go for a night-time walk - the day visitors to the island leave on the last ferry at 4pm so we'll be the only ones exploring the island after dark

Day 3

Sunday will be a laid back day to carry on exploring, play games on the lawns above the lodge or wildlife watching - there is so much to do! We might want to spend longer in the bird hides, find the ruins of Maryland village, get a souvenir from pottery pier, discover more clifftop trails, or carry on searching for wildlife. Before heading back across to the mainland, it's worth stopping at the cafe to grab a coffee and watch the birdlife - we've seen oystercatchers, gulls and terns diving for fish. Everyone will be leaving at different times so we'll be getting public ferries back to the mainland - on Sundays the ferries leave Brownsea every 30 minutes so we can just jump on the next one when we're ready to go (it's £3.25 and you pay on board). Don't miss the last ferry - it leaves at 5pm!
 
Inclusions
Accommodation - Comfort
Victorian cottage with a lawn that backs down onto our own beach. The accommodation has five bedrooms with bunk beds, two dining/common rooms, kitchen facilities and a separate shower and toilet block
 
What's Included
🍴 Food - 1 x BBQ dinner on Saturday night (weather permitting) 2 x breakfasts (Saturday and Sunday)
🧰 Equipment
📋 Other - Private ferry across to Brownsea Island on Friday night, Access to the outdoor games sets at the cottage, A half day kayaking session on Saturday morning (optional extra)
 
What you'll need
🍴 Food - Your host will prepare a home-cooked breakfast each morning and we'll get together for a BBQ on Saturday evening (weather permitting). You'll need to bring your own food for Friday night, and packed lunches or picnic food for Saturday and Sunday. There is a large fridge where you can store your food.
☂️ Waterproofs - We will send our recommended kit list for hiking nearer the time.