Top tips for New Forest

[HotAndGrumpy]

I have a 3-night stay booked in the New Forest next week with DH and 2 teens.

Can anyone share their tops tips and places to go, eat and things to do?

there is a water park with big blow up swimming asault course they might enjoy....i think its called the new forest water park - on the ringwood to salisbury road.

Do not feed the ponies - they are wild animals and can kick/bite despite looking tame.

there are a lot of good pubs to eat....suggest going on trip advisor

Really recommend New Forest water park (between ringwood and fordingbridge) or Calshot activity centre on the coast. Both places are fab for water sports. If you or they like adventurous expensive food, then the Pig in Brockenhurst is lovely. Burley village is great to wander round, couple of good pubs and great ice cream. Moors Valley has go Ape high ropes and good walks. Bolderwood or ockley pond are good spots to start a forest walk. Beaulieu motor museum if you are at all interested in cars or stately homes. Or walk from Beaulieu to Bucklers Hard (which is a museum village with a great pub and river trips)

If you say roughly where you are staying and the sort of things you like to do in happy to give more suggestions!

Great tips, thanks.

Staying in Brockenhurst. Definitely won't be hassling or feeding the wildlife, but admiring them from a distance. Already got lunch at The Pig

We are quite sporty. Love hiking, watersports, love great food (all budgets), also like a bit of nature, sightseeing, culture and history.

Are you taking bikes? Loads of off road bits near Brockenhurst. Turn up the lane past Balmer Lawn hotel and bear left and that’s one route into them.

Calshot has many fun things to do if you’re outdoorsy; if you just fancy a sunset beach walk then grab fish and chips (Blackfield is closest) and head down to Lepe in an evening.

If you are confident with water sports you can rent inflatable kayaks or SUP from a company called Paddle your way and you can do your own thing. If you are cycling, don't forget you aren't allowed to cycle on much of the forest (as it destroys the habitat). There are some good cycle routes, I recommend going from Brock to Beaulieu or Lyndhurst (you can Google the routes). If you are walking, have lunch at The Walter Tyrell, walk past the Rufus stone and head uphill. Lovely bit of forest. Lepe country park has beach (bits of sand at low tide) great views of the isle of Wight and some remains from Operation Overlord planning and practice.

A lazier bike ride would be to get the train from Brock to Ashurst New Forest, eat lunch at the Happy Cheese (bog standard pub) of The New forest Hotel (pub with good Sunday carvery -sometimes bbq going on) and then cycle back to Brockenhurst

You can hire bikes in Brockenhurst, just behind the railway station. They can suggest routes. Lymington also has a seawater pool and inflatables. Walk out to Hurst castle. Lepe country park and there is an activity centre at Calshott- massive climbing walls, velodrome, snow slope.

This is a lovely place to drive/walk

www.new-forest-national-park.com/rhinefield-ornamental-drive/

Hire electric mountain bikes from Brockenhurst. One of the most fun things we have done. Lovely ride through the forest down to the sea at Lymington.

The electric bikes make all the difference as you can go so much further with less effort.

Brockenhurst has a brilliant bakery on the high street, and there is also Brockenhurst beach, just on the north, for river swimming.

Definitely new forest water park.

Also Beaulieu is beautiful. It has lovely walks and nice places to eat. They have a motors museum if that's the teens interest at all?

Milford on sea has a nice coast of you like walking beaches.

I used to live in the NF,Lepe and Calshot are miles from Brockenhurst,much better to go towards Lymington,New Milton,Milford on Sea for water pursuits.Lymington is a lovely town with independent shops and has an outdoor swimming pool.

not been in the lymington swimming pool but thought it looked lovely when we went past it.

@daisy118 but nothing is miles away within the new forest I drive in from southampton and would go to Moors Valley, Brockenhurst or Lepe.

I did the Lepe Loop today and it’s a lovely walk but muddy. Agree with the suggestions for water sports and cycle rides. Love the Rhinefield Ornamental drive with the tall tree walk. Moors Valley is good for go ape and cycling too. If you love hiking, have a look at treasure trails. There are many in the new forests. I’ve done the one in Brockenhurst and it’s good fun.

If you want a change from pub food there's two lovely Italian restaurants in the forest, Albero in Brockenhurst and La Pergola in Lyndhurst.
Exbury Gardens and Furzey Gardens are lovely to walk around and could be combined easily with a trip to Lepe. Christchurch and Highcliff beach are lovely too.

If you're not taking your own bikes definitely hire them. The cycle tracks are fabulous - it was one of our best family days out.