Dream visits to the New Forest
Whether you are visiting the New Forest National Park right now or planning a trip, we hope you’ll have fun using our check-list. Here’s how to rate your visit:
Travel by train = a massive 20 points
Most – more than 90% - travel to the New Forest by car. Traffic can clog up the Forest and spoil the sense of tranquillity that is one of the things that makes the National Park special. We are lucky to have four railway stations within the National Park so it is easy to get right into the heart of the New Forest without a car. If you travel by train, you’re a star; it really helps.
Pick up a Pocket Guide = 5 points
It fits in your pocket and tells you all you need to know to have a great time and help to look after the New Forest National Park once you’ve arrived.
Visit a New Forest attraction = 10 points
There are some great attractions to visit in the New Forest. By visiting you are supporting local jobs and the local economy.
Use local shops = 10 points
Perhaps you buy supplies for use on a campsite or go for a pub lunch or snap up some local crafts to take home … again you are helping the New Forest National Park remain a thriving area.
See the Forest from the open-top Tour bus = 10 points
The New Forest Tour bus is a great way to get a bird’s-eye view of the Forest and leave the car behind for a while.
Explore the New Forest on foot or by bike = 10 points
The National Park is a wonderful place for quiet recreation such as going for a walk or cycling on some of the many miles of marked trails.
Enjoy spotting wildlife and plants = 10 points
The National Park is a special place for all kinds of wildlife. Perhaps you’ll see deer? Or may be wading birds, butterflies, dragonflies or damselflies, or beetles? Or perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to see a lizard? Did you see different types of heather and maybe gorse or cotton-grass or even the small insect-eating sundew?
Photograph New Forest ponies (but don’t feed or touch them) = 10 points
You can’t come to the New Forest National Park without seeing the ponies. Although they roam free and appear wild, all the ponies are owned by people called commoners who have rights to graze them here. There is plenty of natural food for the ponies in the Forest and giving them human food can make them aggressive or more likely to wander onto the roads. It’s a good idea to keep your food in a cool-box to reduce the chances of a pony sniffing it out – ponies will even raid tents while people are out walking! The ponies are usually friendly but it’s best not to touch them as they have been known to kick and bite.
Learn about local history at the New Forest Centre = 10 points
The New Forest Centre in Lyndhurst is the place to start a visit to the National Park. It has fascinating displays and exhibitions about all aspects of Forest life.
Check out the National Park website = 5 points
The National Park website is packed with all kinds of useful information about visiting and looking after the place at the same time. If you find out about not feeding or petting the ponies before you visit, for example, that’s brilliant.
How did you do?
40 points or fewer Good try. See if you can tick a few more boxes.
40-60 points Well done. You ticked a lot of the boxes. Just a few more for a dream visit.
60 points or more Congratulations! That’s a dream visit. If you would like us to enter your name into our monthly prize draw to win some National Park goodies, just send us your name and address to dream@newforestnpa.gov.uk. We will use your details only for this competition.
Related documents
Great visits to the New Forest (836 KB)
