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Pony near Hampton Ridge
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Mudeford Quay

Nautical traditions and a crab catcher's delight

Mudeford
Mudeford

Mudeford Quay
Distance from Lyndhurst - 13½ miles (22 kilometres)

Located at the entrance to Christchurch Harbour - ever-popular with water sports enthusiasts - Mudeford Quay is a great place to visit, particularly for children who enjoy catching crabs with baited lines!

Mudeford associations with the sea
Reputedly the haunt of smugglers in days long gone, Mudeford Quay inevitably retains a close association with the sea, an association emphasised by the presence of fishing boats, lobster pots strewn about the quayside, fishermen's cottages, an RNLI inshore lifeboat station, and a locally renowned fresh fish stall.

Ferries also ply their trade to Hengistbury Head and Christchurch, and fishing and sightseeing boat trips are also available.

Mudeford - the view from Hengistbury Head
Mudeford - the view from Hengistbury Head

Mudeford wildlife
Wild birds provide additional interest: mute swans, sometimes in large numbers, glide about the harbour; cormorants hunt for fish; gulls are ever-present; summer terns entertain with graceful flight and steep, splashing dives; and surprisingly tame starlings scavenge around the lobster pots.

Relax and enjoy
Enjoy refreshments in the quayside café and pub; relax whilst watching yachts and other craft pass along the narrow channel of swirling water - known as the Mudeford Run, or simply the Run - separating Hengistbury Head from Mudeford Quay; or take a stroll along the seafront to the highly rated Avon Beach, a short distance away.

A nearby play park will help keep the children entertained for hours, and adjacent green space is ideal for picnics, ball games, kite flying and whatever else takes the fancy.

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** New Forest ponies and other animals**
The New Forest
Commoners' ponies, cattle, pigs, sheep and donkeys are a popular part of the New Forest scene, but during 2019 agisters attended 159 road traffic accidents involving these animals, a small but disappointing increase on the 154 accidents attended in 2018.

Sadly, 58 animals were killed - 35 ponies, 13 cows, 8 donkeys and 2 sheep, whilst a further 32 were injured - 3 pigs, 9 donkeys, 11 cows and 9 ponies.

(Forty-three accidents occurred in daylight, 15 at twilight and 101 in the dark. Twenty-seven accidents were not reported by the driver involved).

Here's just one horrific example - Three donkeys killed in collision with van at notorious New Forest blackspot (Advertiser and Times)
** Always take care when driving **
Content produced by Andrew Walmsley
Content produced by Andrew Walmsley