The New Forest, one of England’s most ancient and beautiful places, in addition to being a protected National Park, has many wonderful attractions and places to visit.
For starters, look into a visit to Lyndhurst, in the heart of the New Forest. In addition to being the place where the main tourist center is located, there are also many places to stay, eat and visit. Most tourists actually use Lyndhurst as their base from which to explore the rest of the park. Visit the New Forest Museum, where you can learn all about the history of the area. If you would like to see a traditional game of cricket, then visit Swan Green. Or perhaps you are a literary fan? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s burial place lies in the nearby town of Minstead. Some of the better places to eat include Imperial China, The Traditional Tea House, and Mad Hatter Tea Rooms. As for hotels, some suggestions would be: Lyndhurst Park Hotel, Bell Inn Hotel and Knightwood Lodge.
There are also a number of things to do on day trips from the New Forest. These include visiting Southampton, which is a great place to shop, visit museums, enjoy the architecture. Other day trip possibilities include Winchester and the Marwell Zoo, which is set in the open countryside with leopards, tigers, hippos and more.
Ringwood and Burley are incredibly charming little towns in the New Forest. There are lots of tea rooms and souvenir shops. Burley also has a distinctive witch theme, thanks to the fact that in the 1950’s Sybil Leek (a prominent witch) lived here. You can also take a horse-drawn wagon ride here. On the border of Ringwood visit the Blashford Lakes, home of a large number of wildfowl. Accommodation is not as widespread as it is in other cities, but you should still check out the Wayside Inn, Karelia, and the Burley Inn.
If you are a beach lover, you cannot miss the Lymington area. In fact, it is said that the area between Lymington and Poole has the best beaches in all of England. And Lymington itself is English charm personified. The town is filled with lovely Georgian homes and has an excellent museum and visitor’s center where you can learn about the history of the region. Don’t forget to see Fisherman’s Quay, the Lymington and Keyhaven Nature Reserves and Braxton Gardens. There are also tons of hotel and B & B choices here: Efford Cottage, Durlston House and Solent Heights, just to name a few.
There are so many other attractions to look forward to in the New Forest. Some other ideas, which I may expand upon in a future article are: the Bournemouth Oceanarium, Breamore Manor House, Hurst Castle and Ferry, Liberty Raptor and Reptile Park, New Forest Water Park and Setley Ridge Vineyard.