What’s On this Half Term?
Star trails over our Iron Age village - photo by Greenglow Photography
In the face of wintery weather, there’s nothing better than soaking up the atmosphere of our ancient houses, meeting our rare breed animals, stretching your legs in the fresh air and sipping hot chocolate with a view over the South Downs.
Opening Times
Wednesday 18 Feb - Sunday 22 Feb
Open 10am - 4pm
Pre-book your tickets to save £1 per ticket!
This half term, we are celebrating Dark Skies Week with a FREE celestial-themed family trail! Follow the Stars will take you on an ancient journey under the sky. Discover more about how ancient people used the sky above to find their way around the world, and hunt for golden stars around the farm to complete the missing word.
You can also make willow star wands and sun disc pendants to take home, play with Roman boardgames, mosaics and Saxon runes, and meet reeanctors from across the ancient world. Plus, have a go at archery over the weekend of 21-22 Feb!
If you’re looking for last minute holiday clubs for school-age children, we also have a handful of spaces left on our Time Traveller Holiday Club! Your child will experience Butser like never before, spending each fun-filled day with us packed with exciting activities, from making their own clay pots, grinding wheat and baking bread, to trying out weapons, playing ancient games and getting to know the Butser goats - all in the beautiful setting of our ancient buildings in the Hampshire countryside!
For the adults, why not celebrate the new moon with our Lunar Connect & Reset evening yoga circle on Friday 13 February? Reset, recharge and welcome in fresh intentions for the month ahead with our brilliant yoga teacher Holly Hayward. Ground yourself by the fire in our Great Roundhouse, and take the time to check in with your body and your mind. Through gentle movement and reflective practices designed to inspire creativity and self-expression, relax and recharge as the moon begins its cycle anew.
One more thing! Half term visitors from Wednesday to Friday may spot a few industrious workers laying a hedge along the Butser pathways. This course has been offered free to locals through funding by EHDC’s Grow Up! fund. If you’re interested in the traditions and ecological benefits of hedgelaying, you can also watch the video below via the Butser YouTube channel, featuring our excellent treewright Darren Hammerton as he takes us through the stages of laying a hedge.
WIN A BRONZE AXE HEAD!
To celebrate the relaunch of Butser Plus, we are giving away this beautiful bronze axe head made by our resident archaeo-bronzesmith Jim Clift.
This piece is based on an early Bronze Age flanged axe, similar to those in the Arreton Down hoard, excavated on the Isle of Wight in the eighteenth century. In 2012, an English Heritage report even used laser scanning to discover dozens of these axe shapes carved into the stones at Stonehenge!
TO ENTER: Sign up to our Butser Plus platform at any tier between now and 28 February!
This can be a monthly or annual subscription, but must be placed before 23:59 (GMT) on 28 February 2026. At the end of the month, we will choose one lucky winner at random and post their prize to them anywhere in the world. Click here for the full terms & conditions of this prize draw.