This was published 6 years ago
New Forest, UK, travel guide and things to do: The three-minute guide
Beaulieu Palace House in the New Forest.
WHY
Southern England's New Forest (thenewforest.co.uk) is a national park covered in woodland and vast tracts of heath, used as a royal hunting ground from the 11th century and later as a source of timber for the Royal Navy. It's famous for its free-roaming cattle, deer and ponies. Although the landscape lacks wow factor, the New Forest is great for hiking and biking and studded with delightful historic villages and other sights.
VISIT
A herd of New Forest fallow deer.Credit: Paul Close
Lovely Lyndhurst (like nearby Brockenhurst) is a quintessential English village of redbrick pubs and Georgian and Victorian houses. Don't miss the neo-Gothic St Michael's Church (newforestparishes.com), with its Pre-Raphaelite stained glass and small display – further developed in other parts of town – on local lad Captain Arthur Phillip's connections with Australia. New Forest Museum (newforestcentre.org.uk) provides background to the region's history and wildlife. Seaside town Lymington (lymington.org) has a raffish nautical appeal and more historic streets.
EAT
The Pig (thepighotel.com) in Brockenhurst has ever-changing menus relying heavily on foraging and its kitchen garden. It emphasises pork dishes, but don't overlook the pigeon breast with mash and mushrooms – and leave room for chocolate torte with Earl Grey ice-cream. Elderflower (elderflowerrestaurant.co.uk) in Lymington features imaginative, French-influenced British fare with an emphasis on local Hampshire produce. Its slow-cooked beef ribs are lip-smacking.
Ruins of the abbey cloisters.
LOOK
Exbury Gardens (exbury.co.uk), privately owned by the Rothschild family, is worth a visit in any season but is especially noted for its May azalea and rhododendron collection. Thirty kilometres of pathways meander through woodland and parks, and there's an adventure play area for children. The New Forest meets river estuary at Buckler's Hard (bucklershard.co.uk), an 18th-century shipbuilding village with restored cottages, chapel and school. Admiral Nelson's warships were built here. There's a good maritime museum and demonstrations of traditional shipbuilding techniques.
MUST
Tour Lord Montague's pile at Beaulieu (beaulieu.co.uk), which combines palace with the ruins of a medieval Cistercian abbey set in manicured lawns and herb gardens. Tour guides in period costume are entertaining and very informative. On the grounds you'll also find the outstanding National Motor Museum (nationalmotormuseum.org.uk), crammed with vintage and famous cars and motorcycles and Top Gear-associated galleries. Beaulieu village is another historic gem, its sward cropped by wandering donkeys.
SLEEP
Lime Wood Hotel (limewoodhotel.co.uk) just outside Lyndhurst is a grand Georgian-era mansion with extensions and a luxury spa retreat surrounding its garden courtyard. A colourful, quirky sense of decor prevents this from being another stuffy country house, and the restaurant is a delight, as is the funky central bar beneath a retractable roof. Room 14 has beautiful style, a four-poster bed, lovely bathroom of white marble and a window flooded with late-afternoon light.
TIP
You can visit the New Forest by train and public bus, but a rental car will save you considerable time and inconvenience. Try Australian self-drive specialist DriveAway Holidays (driveaway.com.au) for car-hire deals. It's a 75-minute drive from Heathrow to the New Forest.
Brian Johnston travelled courtesy of Visit Britain.
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