The New
Forest is an area of southern England that has many attractions for the
visitor, although he or she must not expect to spend all their time surrounded
by trees.
What is the
New Forest?
The name “New
Forest” is slightly confusing, because it is no longer new and, in the eyes of
many people, scarcely constitutes a forest. True, it was new in 1079 when
William the Conqueror passed laws to make it a royal hunting domain, but the
“National Forest” in the English Midlands is a great deal newer! On the other
hand, the creation of the New Forest National Park in 2005 was recent enough.
As for the
term “forest”, it is a mistake to think that a forest must consist wholly of
trees. There are plenty of trees in the New Forest, but it also has huge areas
of open heathland, bog and other open land. These various habitats make the New Forest an extremely valuable wildlife resource, and
that is one of the main reasons why millions of people visit this area every
year.
Location
The New
Forest covers an area of about 220 square miles in south-west Hampshire, with a
small part of Wiltshire also included. The main A31 road cuts through from
northeast to southwest, providing easy access for the visitor and a tempting
glimpse for those who rush through between Southampton
and Bournemouth/Poole. The main railway line from Southampton to Bournemouth
also snakes through the Forest , with several
stations at which semi-fast and local trains stop.
The A31 marks
a divide between the northern and southern Forest ,
with the northern part tending to be wilder and more open than the south. Most
visitors head for the southern part, with its small towns, extensive woods and
other attractions, but the north is also a delight to visit, especially if you are
a walker, cyclist or rider.
To be blunt,
the car driver gets the worst deal from the New Forest ,
as it is only when you get close to it, under your own steam, that you really
learn most from what it has to offer. However, the most visited site in the Forest is very accessible to the motorised visitor,
namely the Rufus Stone, close to where the A31 becomes the M27. This marks the
supposed site of the death of King William II (known as Rufus) who died in 1100
when hunting in the Forest. Whether his death was an accident or an assassination
has been the subject of debate for centuries.
A managed
wilderness
It is the
history of the New Forest that makes it what
it is. As a royal hunting park, the laws that governed the Forest
ensured that the local people could not cultivate the land or fence in it. Many
of these laws still apply, although the penalties for breaking them are far
less severe than in William the Conqueror’s day! This is a wilderness, but it
is only so because it is a managed wilderness in which the needs of man and
nature are carefully balanced.
For example,
the “commoners” of the Forest have the right
to turn pigs into the woodlands in the autumn to eat the acorns that would
otherwise poison the ponies and cattle, and at same time prevent the growth of
unwanted oak saplings. These ancient rights and privileges are jealously and
efficiently guarded by the “verderers” and “agisters” who ensure that the Forest continues to stay the way it always has, but
visitors also have a responsibility to treat it well and preserve an ecosystem
that is both enduring and fragile.
Wildlife
One of the main
reasons for visiting the New Forest is to
experience its wildlife, which can best be done on foot, horseback, or bicycle.
The Forest is famous for its semi-wild ponies,
which are everywhere, but visitors should be wary of getting too close as they
can sometimes be aggressive and give a nasty bite. Less often seen are the five
species of deer that roam the woods, including the small sika deer that have descended
from stock that escaped into the Forest more than 100 years ago.
The
heathlands and bogs are home to the widest range of reptiles and amphibians to
be seen anywhere in the British Isles . These
include every species of snake and lizard found in Britain Lyndhurst
Birdwatchers
will find the New Forest very much to their liking, as more than 100 species
breed here, and many others are regular winter visitors or migrants. Unusual
species to be found here include the hawfinch, hen harrier, woodlark and
nightjar.
The Forest is also a haven for many unusual butterflies,
dragonflies and other insects, not to mention fungi and wild flowers and other
plants, some of which are found nowhere else.
Getting
around
To help you
get around, there are more than 150 miles of gravel tracks that are off-limits
to cars, and several firms rent out bicycles by the day. You can also hire a
pony, for either accompanied or unaccompanied rides through the Forest , to which there are few restrictions in terms of
hedges or fences.
Places to
visit
A short guide
to the New Forest cannot cover everything, as
there is so much to see and do, but mention should be made of three unusual
attractions that should not be missed.
The National Motor Museum was the brainchild
of the late Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, and consists of more than 250 motor
vehicles of all kinds, tracing the history of motor transport and motorsport,
including former holders of the world land speed record. You can also visit
Beaulieu Abbey, the ruins of a Cistercian abbey dating from 1204, and Palace
House, the former home of Lord Montagu.
Not far from
Beaulieu is Buckler’s Hard, a former shipyard that used New Forest timber to
build some of the ships that formed Britain Maritime
Museum
To be
absolutely accurate, the third place on the list is just outside the New Forest
proper, but should not be missed. This is the Eling Tide Mill at
the head of Southampton Water. This is a restored watermill, originally built
at least as long ago as the creation of the New Forest by King William I, that
operates by filling a millpond from the incoming tide and releasing the trapped
water when the tide is low. Visitors can see the mill in operation, although
timings depend on the tides, and buy flour that has been ground here.
A special
place
The New
Forest contains only three small towns (Lyndhurst ,
Brockenhurst and Lymington) and a number of smaller villages, so hotel
accommodation within the Forest is limited.
However, this should not be a problem, given that the large population centres
of Southampton and Bournemouth/Poole are not
far away. One option, especially if you want to experience the Forest at dawn
(an excellent idea!) is to camp, and there are nine campsites in the Forest that are managed by the Forestry Commission.
The New Forest is a very special place, to be enjoyed and
savoured, never rushed but always respected. It is full of surprises (for
example, the grave of the original “Alice in
Wonderland” can be seen at Lyndhurst
For more
information, see these websites:
© John
Welford
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