Ah, the New Forest. Created sometime between 1066 and 1087 on the orders of William the Conqueror. 36 parishes were destroyed in its creation and many people left homeless and destitute just so that William and his pals could enjoy this extensive yet private hunting ground.
The New Forest extends to around 200 sq miles and it’s not just trees; there are numerous glades, ancient woodlands, open moors, heathlands and boggy streams, and it is criss-crossed with roads, walking trails and unpaved cycling paths. There is an abundance of wild life freely wandering the forest including horses, cattle, deer, donkeys and pigs. The forest is home to a wide variety of birdlife including buzzards, cuckoo, wood-peckers, swallows and swifts.
For our May break this year we decided to take the ‘van to the forest and stay at Long Meadow campsite which is just outside Brockenhurst. From Long Meadow it’s a 20 minutes cycle ride on forest trails and minor roads into Brockenhurst, although it’s probably much quicker along the busy A337.
Long Meadow campsite was pretty much empty, out of its 100 pitches less than 20 were occupied so we were able to park far away from everyone else is our usual sociable way. The weekend started off very hot and sunny and this continued into Monday afternoon. Rain was forecast for 3pm on Monday and it delivered in spades bang on cue, chucking it down in torrents. After an hour or so, the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started leaving us with a bright and sunny late afternoon and evening but had soaked our picnic furniture so no BBQ that evening.
Cycling in the forest was easy going on unpaved tracks, no hills, just a few slopes, very few people around and next to no traffic, even on the roads. It’s the sort of countryside you can cycle on all day without getting bored or too tired.
Brockenhurst is a nice village with a number of small shops and tea rooms. There is a butcher, a baker, a green-grocer, but don’t use the Tesco Express where they charge 29p per onion!. Fruit and veg is much cheaper in the green-grocer on Brookley road.
Click on the photo below to see a selection of the photos we took while out and about in the New Forest.
