Planning a visit
The New Forest is the ultimate outdoor classroom offering opportunities to discover, explore, investigate, understand and enjoy the mosaic of environments and cultural heritage that makes the New Forest so special.
If you are intending to bring an educational group to the New Forest National Park then please consider the following:
Land ownership
Even open access land requires the permission of the landowner for groups to visit it so please check with the land owner when planning your visit. In the New Forest 47% of land is owned and managed by the Forestry Commission. If you intend to take a group onto Forestry Commission land you will need to obtain permission. This can be done by contacting the Permissions Officer at Queen’s House, Lyndhurst, Hants SO43 7NH or by telephoning 023 8028 3141.
Reducing your impact
The New Forest has over 13.5 million visitor days per year. When visiting the Park there are many ways that you can reduce your impact on the environment and help to conserve it for the future. One such way is by following the New Forest Code.
Other considerations include reducing the impact on communities within the Park. Over 34,000 people live within the Park boundaries with over 3,000 in the villages of Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst. When carrying out fieldwork it is a good idea to consider whether there will be other groups doing similar surveys at the same time. The Forestry Commission Permissions Officer may be able to advise.
If it is essential to carry out questionnaire surveys please ensure that the students are appropriately briefed and do so in a considerate manner, the target audience may well have been asked many times previously!
Many of the forest villages are several hundred years old and have narrow streets and pavements. Working in small groups avoids issues of over-crowding on these pavements and avoids blocking access for other users.
Have a safe trip
You will no doubt be aware of the Health and Safety Advice and Guidance provided by your Local Education Authority. When conducting field-work in the New Forest it is useful to remember that some of the environments can be potentially hazardous including the valley mires and bogs. A pre-visit and risk assessment is essential. If you are unsure then there are many organisations that are able to provide high quality tutored sessions in and adjacent to the Park.
Despite its mild south-coast climate the New Forest remains an open environment with wide expanses of heathland and grassy plains. It is therefore important to ensure that the group is adequately dressed for the weather conditions. In wet, cold or windy weather full waterproofs and stout footwear is recommended.
There are particular points to be aware of in relation to Weil’s disease and Lyme’s disease. See the HSE web-site for further guidance.
Follow this link for more general information on health and safety and school visits
