What to do in the New Forest?

[toastedmarshmallow]

We're planning on staying for 5 days or so next week. 4 DCs aged between 9 and 1.

We've already thought about doing a day at Paultons Park, fun pool (Southsea Pyramids or Romsey Rapids) and possibly Go Ape plus walks/bike rides in forest.

Any other ideas or recommendations?

Walk around Lepe country park, (5 mile easy route if your family are walkers) Marwell zoo, walks in the forest, Beaulieu motor museum (better than it sounds), Moors Valley Country Park, just watching the ponies, cycle hire, Gruffalo trail at Bolderwood, Winchester, Salisbury...

We'll be in the new forest next week too

Our list includes Paultons, Monkey World, Moors Valley, Littledown for swimming, Hamworthy Park in Poole, and the beaches around Christchurch.

Personally I prefer the quays in Southampton to Romsey rapids. If you are NT members Mottisfont Abbey has some fun outdoor play areas, water play and a climbing zone, and actively encourages children doing fun things! Corfe Castle/swanage railway also close by and lovely. Mmm think that's me idea-d out for now!

new forest tour bus, goes right round the whole forest, it's really good actually. start and finish at Lyndhurst
beaulieu motor museum/bucklers hard/lunch at fair weathers garden centre on beaulieu high street
Longdown activity farm, and theresanother place up the road, think it's called new forest wildlife centre?
Lymington, sea water baths, keyhaven/hurst castle
exbury gardens with little steam railway, Lepe country park

Where are you staying in the forest, anything in particular you want to do whilst you're here?

We live in the Forest. Our 6 year old loves the rope swings over the stream at Aldridge Hill just outside Brockenhurst. Just follow Rhinefield Road on to Whitemoor, take the first right when you reach the open moorland and follow the signs towards the campsite.

White moor is also great for walks and to see the ponies and foals close up - but please please please don't try to feed or pet them.

Beaches here are fab, Lymington is a great Georgian town with a quay for crabbing, a Saturday market down the whole high street (but get here by 9:30 if you want a parking space - best place is behind the Town Hall). There are free walking maps at strategic points around the town with several walks marked out. Oh, and the Sea Water baths are a fab way to spend a few hours on a sunny day.

Hi PoshPenny - did you used to help out at Brock HT?

New forest wildlife centre is great.
Lymington is great to wander round and has boat trips.
Go to one of the new forest villages and just walk - my dc lived seeing the ponies
Beaches
Day trip to Isle of Wight?

Brilliant- thanks for all those ideas- we might need to stay longer! Why do you think Quays better than Romsey Rapids jenijena?

We're camping near Bransgore- we've been to the forest before with the kids but only for a weekend. Wanted to make the most of our time as it is our only holiday this year.

We all enjoy being outdoors and DS loves cars so think we'll have to try the motor museum as well.

Motor museum is excellent as is Exbiry Garddns and Lepe. All of those are right in the forest too.

Quays has fewer features in the pool than the rapids but has a larger shallow shelving area.

We live just over the water so are lucky enough have loads of beaches at home- prefer to do foresty things mostly. Is Paultons Park awful in the holidays?

Might bump into you there FlipFlopWaddle!

Furzey gardens is good

We live by the sea too but we all love the beach so end up there on holiday too

I've been to Paultons in May half term (well, the year it was in June) and it was fine - PPW was busy first thing but by mid afternoon we were walking onto the rides. That was the year that it rained all summer though, the day we went was ok, a few showers but nothing to ruin the day. I'm not sure what it's like on a dry August day though but my tip is to buy your tickets online, get there as it opens, head straight to PPW, do a few rides there then explore the rest of the park and go back to PPW later on, the twice we've been that's what's worked for us anyway!

The family changing facilities are better at the quays, and it never smells of wee as much and although there are less 'fun' things to do there are still slides and water sprays and things. Also the queues for the rapids can be awful at times. The water is a bit warmer and I've got a shiverer for my 2 year old.

Thanks again for all your ideas- have made a very long list and really looking forward to Monday

Compton Acres

There's a free splash park in Christchurch, not far from the quay where you can get a boat ride out to the beach with all the beach huts.

Toasted I thought I'd come back and reassure you about Paultons if you're still checking this thread (wifi permitting - our campsite has it ). We went today and it was fine. We deliberately chose a day with showers forecast and they didn't materialise . We got there for 9:45 and went straight to PPW and did a few rides before it got really busy, then did a few other pp activities - play area, house, school, had lunch (I was very impressed with the food in the new restaurant), went around the rest of the park and back to PPW mid afternoon. The longest we queued was probably half an hour but most queues were less than 15 minutes. It was a lovely day

Thanks flipflop we do have wifi. We've decided against positions this holiday. Been having a fab time though hope you are too

Get the little ferry at Mudeford to the little peninsula with all the beach huts on. You can hang around the beach for a bit then go for a walk over the top and get a little train back to the ferry stop. It's a nice little day out

We are thanks, just spent a lovely day on the beach, it was nice to chill out after our busy day yesterday, we've been really lucky with the weather so far too

Paultons I meant not positions! t recommend moors valley and the row swings at Aldridge hill described by artfooldodger. Also recommend the activities at Avon Tyrrell. Beaulieu tomorrow (mainly for DH and DS