New Forest

And in the New Forest, there is never a need to go hungry or thirsty for here will be found an unrivalled choice of pubs, restaurants and tea rooms.

New Forest accommodation is also readily available, for there are countless high quality hotels, guest houses and B&Bs from which to choose; and numerous camp sites for those who prefer to stay under canvas.

New Forest walking and cycling
The New Forest offers marvellously unrestricted access for relaxation, cycling, walking and exploration using miles of gravel tracks and little used New Forest paths.

New Forest winter walks on crisp, frosty days are a special delight; whilst spring in the New Forest sometimes comes as early as February. New Forest heaths ablaze with heather are a special feature of late-summer; whilst autumn brings spectacular New Forest woodland displays of gold, red and orange; and rutting deer that remind of the original purpose of this old place.

	New Forest - Boldre church with a seasonal covering of snow

New Forest ponies
New Forest ponies, donkeys, cattle and autumnal pigs wander freely, continuing centuries-old New Forest commoning traditions that were once widespread over much of England, but have now largely disappeared, apart from in a small number of places such as the New Forest.

New Forest wildlife
New Forest wildlife is of international importance. In the New Forest, four species of deer can regularly be seen, butterflies are at times abundant, and 75% of Britain's dragonfly and damselfly species are found. Look out also for the purple blooms of wild gladiolus that grace the New Forest heathlands, but are found nowhere else in Britain; and a range of New Forest birds such as the tiny Dartford warbler, and spring and summer visiting hobbies and nightjars.

New Forest history
Evidence of New Forest history can often be found in this ancient landscape - there is, after all, little need to look much beyond the centuries-old, lichen-clad oaks that once would have been felled and used for Navy timber. But here in the New Forest, there are also Bronze Age barrows; Iron Age hill forts; aged, mysterious earthen banks and ditches; and much, much more.

New Forest Explorers' Guide - a treasure trove of New Forest information and images! Within the pages of the New Forest Explorers' Guide, wildlife, landscapes, commoning traditions and history are examined in detail, whilst accompanying New Forest photographs, postcards and maps help bring to life this ancient land.