"Beautiful heather and horses in the New Forest" Top 5 Page for this destination New Forest by angiebabe

New Forest Travel Guide: 38 reviews and 127 photos

Beautiful heather in bloom

We went out for a roam around the moor to indulge in the scenery and colours while the heather was still in its lovely purple bloom. Fresh country air and wide open spaces away from the city and work and all its worries. Perfect environment to stroll around, catch up in conversation with friends and grab a few more photos!

We found the elusive New Forest moor ponies

watching me watching you famed wild pony!

Im told that outside of the Highlands of Scotland the New Forest is the largest are of relatively natural vegetation in Britain and been that way since 1079 when William the Conqueror gave the area its name.

The New Forest covers 145 square miles of which 105 sq miles is forest and woodlands and the rest occupied by villages and farmland.

The forest trees include oak, beech and holly while the animal life feature deer, badgers, foxes and most particularly the famed ponies.

The cities of Bournemouth in the South west and Southhampton in the North East bracket the New Forest with the main towns and villages to visit within being Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst, Minstead, Burley, Beaulieau, Lymington and Ringwood.

Within this area are interesting sites such as the Rufus Stone to commemorate where William II was killed by an arrow (or was it the person that fired it?), the gravestones of knowns such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Alice Hargreaves who had been the model for Alice for Lewis Carroll, and the Rhinefield Drive extremely beautiful when in its prolific glory of rhodendron blossoms.

rules of the Forest - common sense ones!

Being a pretty area to drive through and even better when you get off the roads and onto the cycling and walking tracks, up to 7 million visitors a year enjoy this area, sharing it with the New Forest ponies and over 1,500 fallow deer.

Visitors are asked - not to feed the wild ponies which can attract them onto the roads

- to keep below 40 mph on unfenced forest roads and only park in a designated area - of which there are many!

- when walking in the forest to keep to paths and tracks

Pros and Cons

Pros:large area to roam or drive and enjoy the fresh air and nature and wildlife

Last visit to New Forest: Sep 2006
Intro Updated Oct 5, 2007
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Reviews (10)

New Forest Visitors Centre at Lyndhurst - New Forest

Hop on Hop off Bus tours Things to Do (9)

During the summer months, in 2013 from 29 June to 15 September, it would be great to tour around the New Forest in an... more travel advice

grand Georgian houses in town - New Forest

Ringwood - a New Forest town Things to Do (9)

A regular stop for the National Express coaches between London and Bournemouth I had only seen Ringwood as a bus stop... more travel advice

plenty of space for walking the dogs! - New Forest

Good place for walking the dogs Things to Do (9)

With 145 square miles of unenclosed land theres plenty of pretty area with walking tracks to head off and enjoy the... more travel advice

more beautiful purple heather - New Forest

more beautiful purple heather Things to Do (9)

more travel advice

Warnings and Dangers (1)
horses, ponies and other animals on the...

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Comments (9)

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Nemorino Jul 24, 2010 at 4:00 AM

The New Forest has always seemed mysterious to me. (For one thing, what's so "New" about it?) I don't know of any other place that is run by Verderers and Agisters. What do the Agisters do with all those wild ponies after they have rounded them up?
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uglyscot Dec 20, 2009 at 5:19 AM

Lovely page.
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lynnehamman Jun 11, 2009 at 6:51 AM

What a beautiful area this is, Angie. The heather growing wild like this reminds me of the mountains surrounding Cape Town. And so good that there is a place for horses to roam free. Great photos, as always. Happy Birthday for the 15th.
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Bwana_Brown Sep 14, 2008 at 8:23 AM

I really enjoyed your photos of this wild and pretty part of England! My wife and I passed through the area a few years ago as we took a 'scenic' route from Farnham to Cornwall. No time to stop though :(
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jo104 Sep 26, 2007 at 6:53 AM

My uncle lives in the New Forest it is a lovely area & who can forget H.S Corner :-) (befoulments that is)
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lou31 Sep 9, 2007 at 3:40 PM

Fantastic page...The New Forest is on my list for next year so your tips were very helpful...cheers...
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iandsmith Aug 31, 2007 at 2:21 PM

Verderer, I'll have to look that one up in the dictionary! Why do they round up the animals? Interesting stuff, cheers.
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Museeuw Aug 14, 2007 at 10:32 AM

Hi! I've never heard of this place, but it sure looks nice. Greets!
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iwys Mar 7, 2007 at 5:19 PM

Did you see the even more elusive Dartford Warblers? Sometimes they pop their heads up in the area where you have taken your main photo.