Cool Places
Highcliffe Castle
Rothesay Drive Highcliffe BH23 4LE
This ornate Victorian mansion was built by Lord Stuart de Rothesay using stained glass and gargoyles salvaged from medieval buildings in France. Tours give you insights into the building’s history, though much of the appeal is to wander round the neat grounds (laid out by Capability Brown) with sweeping vistas across to the Isle of Wight. Clifftop trails lead into a small woodland nature reserve and down the cliff to a fine sand and shingle beach, which rarely gets busy even in high summer.
