NEW FOREST, HAMPSHIRE

The New Forest is an area of Hampshire in England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and old-growth forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. The New Forest was designated a National Park in 2005.

Like much of England, the New Forest was originally forested, but parts were cleared for cultivation from the Stone Age and into the Bronze Age. However, the poor quality of the soil in the new forest meant that the cleared areas turned into heathland "waste".

The New Forest was created as a royal forest in 1079 by William the Conqueror for the hunting of (mainly) deer. It was first recorded as "Nova Foresta" in the Domesday Book in 1086. William's successor, William Rufus was killed in a suspicious accident while hunting in the New Forest in 1100. The reputed spot of the king's death is marked with a stone known as the Rufus Stone. As of 2005, roughly 90% of the New Forest is still owned by the Crown. The Crown lands have been managed by the Forestry Commission since 1923. Around 50% of the Crown lands fall inside the new National Park.

The New Forest is 90,000 acres of exceptional woodland - home to its famous ponies, five varieties of deer and many other wild animals and birds. Twice a year the local pigs are let loose amongst the forest to eat acorns to stop the ponies over indulging and becoming ill. Almost two thirds of the New Forest is open to visitors, who can either amble through the heathland and streams, follow mapped-out walks or enjoy horse riding and pony treks. Tucked away throughout the forest are picturesque villages with traditional churches, pubs and quaint shops.

Among the towns and villages lying in or adjacent to the Forest are Lyndhurst (which claims to be the 'capital' of the New Forest), Brockenhurst, Fordingbridge, Ringwood, Beaulieu and Lymington. It is bounded to the west by Bournemouth and to the east by the city of Southampton. The forest gives its name to the New Forest district of Hampshire.

NEW FOREST ATTRACTIONS

Artsway
Beaulieu Abbey
Bucklers Hard
Bucklands Rings
Calsot Castle
Exbury Gardens
Fordingbridge Museum - houses local history exhibits.
Furzey Gardens
Hurst Castle
Lepe Country Park
Longdown Dairy Farm
Lymington Keyhaven Nature Reserve
National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
New Forest Badger Watch
New Forest Cider, Burley
New Forest Wagon Rides
New Park Farm
Roydon Woods, Lymington
Sammy Miller Motorcycke Museum
Spinners Garden
The Solent Way

TRANSPORT LINKS

By Car
The New Forest is approximately one and a half hours drive from London. The M27 motorway runs from the M3 directly out of London. Lyndhurst is 5 miles from Junction 1 of the M27 and Brockenhurst is about 10 minutes drive.

By Rail
There is a mainline station at Brockenhurst which connects to London Waterloo via Southampton. The line at Brockenhurst splits with the mainline continuing to Bournemouth, and another smaller line travelling towards Lymington.

By Air
The area is well served by two rapidly growing airports in Southampton and Bournemouth