Learn about the New Forest National Park – Key facts and figures

National Park Boundary

Perambulation Boundary

District Boundaries

The National Park family

The New Forest is one of a family of 14 national parks across England, Wales and Scotland. These represent some of the most beautiful areas of countryside in the UK.

National parks were first set up in the USA to protect wilderness areas. The first ever national park was created in Yellowstone, USA in 1872. The first national park in the UK was the Peak District which was designated in 1951.

The New Forest National Park

The New Forest became a National Park in March 2005 and the New Forest National Park Authority took on its full duties in April 2006. The New Forest became the first national park in the south of England.

Purposes of the New Forest National Park

The New Forest National Park has two purposes. These are:

• to conserve and enhance (look after) the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Park, and
• to encourage understanding and enjoyment of its special qualities.

In addition the National Park has a duty to foster the social and economic well being of communities within it.

Location of the New Forest National Park

The New Forest National Park is mostly in South-west Hampshire with a small part in Wiltshire. It stretches from Southampton Water in the east to the Avon Valley in the west and from the edge of the Wiltshire Downs in the north to the shores of the Solent coast in the south.

New Forest National Park

Mist and autumn colour, Minstead Road

Not to Scale, © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved New Forest National Park Authority Licence number 1000114703, 2007.

Physical features

Geology

The New Forest consists of layers of sand and gravel overlying a layer of clay. Both the sands and gravels allow water to pass through the gaps between the particles (they are permeable rocks). The clay will allow water to pass through but as the particles are much smaller, the gaps become easily saturated. Once this happens water cannot pass through the rock and it becomes impermeable.

Why is it so special?

Within the National Park boundary lie some of the most special landscapes in the world. Different people have different views on what makes the New Forest such a special place. Some of these are shown below:

• outstanding natural beauty: the sights, sounds and smells of ancient woodland and unspoilt coastline
• an extraordinary diversity of plants and animals, many of international importance
• a unique archaeological, historic and cultural heritage, from royal hunting ground to ship-building
• an historic commoning grazing system that maintains so much of what people know and love as ‘the New Forest’
• the iconic New Forest Pony together with donkeys, pigs and cattle roaming free
• a working landscape based on commoning, farming and forestry
• tranquility at the heart of the busy and built up south
• wonderful opportunities for quiet recreation, learning and discovery
• a healthy environment: fresh air, clean water and a sense of wilderness

Isle of Wight

The Solent

The New Forest Hampshire Downs

Gravels Sands

Clays

Chalk

Main rivers

The River Lymington begins as a spring emerging on Stoney Cross Plain. It then winds south easterly for 25 km before entering the Solent at Lymington. The river supports a variety of wildlife including freshwater invertebrates such as stoneflies and mayflies. It is also home to a variety of fish such as the Brown Trout and the Bullhead. Other key rivers include the Beaulieu River, the River Darkwater and the Blackwater.

New Forest Time-line

• 1079 — William the Conqueror creates his Royal Hunting Ground or Nova Forestra and marks the start of Forest Law
• 1100 — His son William Rufus is shot by an arrow and dies whilst hunting – there has been much speculation as to whether this was an accident or something more suspicious
• 1483 — The New Forest Act is passed: Inclosures are created to allow timber to be produced for shipbuilding and other purposes
• 1698 — The Enclosure Act is passed: this recognises rights of common and gives the Crown powers of enclosure to help to secure timber production
• 1851 — The Deer Removal Act is passed: it aims to destroy all the deer in the Forest… but is unsuccessful
• 1847 — Southampton to Dorchester railway is constructed: this allows more visitors to access the New Forest
• 1877 — The New Forest Act is passed: this removes restrictions on common grazing and constitutes the court of Verderers
• 1924 — The Forestry Commission takes over the management of the New Forest’s Crown Land
• 1992 — Government gives the New Forest special status equivalent to a national park and the New Forest Heritage Area is created
• 2005 — The New Forest gains national park status and becomes the 14th national park to be created in the UK
• 2006 — The New Forest National Park Authority is created to look after the interests of the National Park

Human features

There are 37 parishes and towns wholly or partly within the National Park and over 34,000 people live within the Park boundaries.

Only three settlements within the National Park have over 3,000 people, the largest is Brockenhurst with 3,400 people followed by Sway and Lyndhurst.

Over 38,000 hectares (nearly 67%) of the National Park is covered by the historic ‘Perambulation’. This is the area in which common rights apply and commoner’s livestock can roam freely. The historic system of commoning, together with traditional farming, continues to shape the landscape of much of the National Park.

There are 4 railway stations within the National Park: Ashurst, Brockenhurst, Beaulieu Road and Sway.

Understanding and enjoying the National Park

Recreation

The National Park receives an estimated 13.5 million day-visits a year. It is thought that these visits generate over £120 million spending a year and support more than 2,500 jobs in the New Forest National Park.

Some of the most common forms of recreation include walking, cycling, horse riding, visiting tearooms and cafes and sightseeing.

Over 60% of the visits are day visits by people who live in or close to the National Park.

Lepe Beach

Land use in the National Park

• Coastal 1.56%
• Woodland 39.2%
• Open Forest 34.5%
• Farmland 24.74%

Facts and figures

• Main rivers: Lymington and Beaulieu
• Former Royal Hunting Forest
• Over 1,000 years old
• 500 commoners
• Size: 220 square miles
• Population: More than 34,000 people
• Over 7,000 animals graze the Open Forest
• Less than half the forest is covered by trees
• 26 miles of coastline
• 235km of public footpaths
• Highest point: Telegraph Hill (167m)
• Receives an estimated 13.5 million day-visits a year
• Main settlements: Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and Sway
• Oldest tree: Common Yew in Brockenhurst Church Yard (believed to be 1,000 years old!)
• Tallest tree: Wellingtonia in Rhinefield Drive (55 metres tall!)

Conserving and enhancing the National Park

The National Park Authority works in partnership with many other organisations to ensure that the New Forest is conserved for future generations to enjoy.

Dogs:

The New Forest is a great place to walk dogs but please keep them within sight and under control at all times. To help birds rear their young safely keep dogs on the tracks between March and July. Some beaches are out of bounds to dogs during the summer; look out for local restrictions.

Driving:

The 40mph speed limit on unfenced roads greatly reduces the number of accidents involving animals. Slow down and give ponies and other forest animals a wide berth; they have little road-sense! Be especially careful at night.

Fire:

Because uncontrolled forest fires are a great threat, campfires are generally not allowed in the New Forest. Barbecue sites are provided for hire at Wilverley and Anderwood car parks by the Forestry Commission (023 8028 3141 or www.forestry.gov.uk/newforest) and at Lepe Country Park by Hampshire County Council (please book in advance: 023 8089 9108 or www.hants.gov.uk/lepe).

Cycling:

Keep to the waymarked tracks. Give way to walkers and horse riders, and call out a warning when approaching them. Ride in single file on narrow roads and never more than two abreast. Wear bright colours to be visible and always use lights in the dark.

Forest management:

Take notice of any warning signs and keep a safe distance from work sites. Only pass a vehicle loading timber when told it is safe to do so.

Litter:

Please take your litter home.

Ponies:

Please don’t feed the ponies. They may look friendly but they can bite and kick – especially mares with foals – and hand fed ponies tend to gather near roads and become aggressive with other visitors. There’s plenty of natural forage for them in the Forest.

Further reading and useful information

Other New Forest National Park Authority fact files

Forestry Commission fact files: www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-62LHYL

The New Forest its character and heritage: NFDC & Forestry Commission, 2005

The New Forest Official Guide: NFDC and Forestry Commission, 1993

The New Forest: Colin R. Tubbs, 2001

New Forest: Clive Chatters and Mike Reid, 2006

www.newforestnpa.gov.uk Factsheet available on CD, in large-print, or Braille on request

© New Forest National Park Authority, 2007

Bull Hill heather

Dog walkers at Ragged Boys Hill

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