09-07-2025
The perfect holiday in the New Forest, England's natural theme park
How I love hearing the rattle of the cattle grid that marks the New Forest boundary as I drive inside. Now, suddenly, I am in 219 square miles of open heathland, with ancient and ornamental woodland, rivers, valley mires, mud flats and saltmarshes; all peppered with ponies, donkeys, pigs, cattle and deer roaming free. Britain's smallest National Park, the New Forest is a unique survivor of medieval European landscape turned modern-day natural theme park. A low lying 'fairy' mist often swirls above the heath, and I frequently feel as though I am entering an enchanted kingdom.
In a way, I am: declared a royal hunting ground by William the Conqueror in 1079, the land still belongs to the Crown and remains astonishingly little changed. With 26 miles of coastline, pretty villages and a wealth of outdoor activities, it's also steeped in living history and tradition. Look carefully at those free-roaming ponies. They are the architects of the Forest, having shaped its landscape through centuries of grazing. Without them, and the 'Commoners' who own and tend them, there would be no New Forest.
For more New Forest inspiration, see our guide to the region's best hotels, restaurants, pubs and attractions.
In this guide:
How to spend the perfect day
Morning
Start early in Brockenhurst, where you can, if you wish, hire a bike from Cyclexperience, right by the train station. Stock up for a picnic lunch before pedalling or driving for four miles along Rhinefield Road across Whitefield Moor to Rhinefield Ornamental Drive. Here you can see magnificent giant redwoods, planted in the 19th century. Park in Blackwater car park to visit Blackwater Arboretum before taking the one and a half mile circular, family-friendly Tall Trees Trail. Alternatively, opt for the Holm Hill three-mile loop which encapsulates all that is special in the New Forest, passing through rolling heathlands, tranquil meandering streams, lowland bogs and ancient woodland (see New Forest Walks). In late summer, when the heather is in full bloom, the views across the open expanses are spectacular. Pause for your picnic lunch by Ober Water, where there are plenty of shady spots for children to paddle.
Afternoon
If you prefer to lunch in a restaurant, café or pub (booking recommended), return to Brockenhurst where you can choose between the lovely conservatory at the The Pig in Brockenhurst, or, in picturesque Beaulieu six miles away; a Sicilian pizza at Steff's Kitchen or perhaps fish and chips at Monty's Inn. You could then bike the Brockenhurst to Beaulieu loop (50 per cent off road; directions from Cyclexperience) before returning to the station.
