If you want to find the best pubs in Fordingbridge in the New Forest, then you’re just where you should be! Between them, this list of the top ten Fordingbridge pubs offers sustainable, freshly prepared British fare, snug fireplaces, top quality drinks, sunny beer gardens, and boutique accommodation.
Look no further when you want to find pubs in and near Fordingbridge. This locals’ guide offers something for everyone – from vegans, sporty sorts, music fans, eco-conscious types, and families to your faithful furry friend. Which town or country pub will be first on your list?
10 of the best Fordingbridge pubs
1. The George
Best for a riverside position
- Where: 14 Bridge Street, Fordingbridge SP6 1AH
- When: Wednesday and Thursday 11am to 10pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm, Sunday and Monday 11am to 5pm; closed Tuesdays
- Why: A whitewashed pub and riverside restaurant, offering scrumptious food and spectacular views
- Stay over: No
The George at Fordingbridge is a traditional, whitewashed hostelry that doubles up as a restaurant by the river. Dating from the 18th century, today it serves a modern gastropub menu featuring British and global favourites. The beer garden by the water is a real plus at this TripAdvisor award winner, and even has cute beach huts to sit in.
The Sunday roast at The George comes highly recommended, as do the filled Yorkshire puddings. Staff are very welcoming and helpful, and both the views and food are worth making a trip to Fordingbridge for.
2. The Ship Inn
Best for live music
- Where: 68 High Street, Fordingbridge SP6 1AX
- When: Sunday to Thursday midday to 10pm; Friday and Saturday midday to 11pm
- Why: A wide-ranging menu and tempting specials board, plus live music on weekends and four comfortable rooms
- Stay over: Yes
You might expect traditional British food at this New Forest pub in central Fordingbridge. While that’s on the menu, you can also sample the likes of a Swiss fondue and The Ship’s signature Café de Paris sauce. An ever-changing specials board keeps things fresh.
Live music on weekends is also a staple here. You can also stay over in one of the four spacious, comfortable en-suite rooms, with power showers and crisp white linens.
Whether you prefer to share a crew pot casserole; tuck into a homemade steak and kidney pudding, chilli, or fish pie; or get your mouth around a triple decker sandwich, there’s plenty to fill your belly at The Ship.
3. The Royal Oak
Best for a dog-friendly pub
- Where: Ringwood Road, North Gorley, Fordingbridge SP6 2PB
- When: Monday to Wednesday 5pm to 10pm, Thursday 4.30pm to 10pm, Friday 4.30pm to 10.30pm, Saturday midday to 8pm, Sunday midday to 6pm
- Why: A dog-friendly, traditional, thatched New Forest inn serving pub grub freshly cooked to order
- Stay over: No
At four centuries old, the Royal Oak in North Gorley near Fordingbridge is the quintessential thatched New Forest pub. Undergoing an extensive upgrade before reopening for summer 2024, the recent investment should hopefully keep it going for another few hundred years.
Favourites among regular visitors include the yummy burgers and the fish and chips. Dogs are welcome here, both outside and in the bar area. As food is freshly made to order, you may wait a little while when it’s busy, and booking a table in advance is recommended.
4. The Cartwheel Inn
Best for a countryside setting
- Where: The Cartwheel Inn, Whitsbury, Fordingbridge SP6 3PZ
- When: Wednesday and Thursday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 11pm; Sunday 11am to 5.30pm; closed Monday and Tuesday
- Why: Classic dishes with a contemporary twist, made using fresh local produce, and served in a countryside setting
- Stay over: No
In a sleepy village close to the road connecting Ringwood, Fordingbridge, and Salisbury is The Cartwheel Inn. It’s positioned where Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire meet, and is housed in a historic 18th century building.
This has served as a farmhouse, the village bakery, and of course a wheelwright. The renowned Whitsbury Manor Stables are also behind the pub, where the racehorse Desert Orchid once lived.
The Cartwheel Inn offers it all – a warm, family and pet friendly atmosphere, a countryside setting, and a menu featuring classics with a contemporary twist. Whether you order vegan fish and chips, the Cartwheel pie, or roast hake with seafood, samphire, and new potatoes, fresh local ingredients are used where possible.
5. The Railway Hotel
Best for a boutique stay
- Where: 116 Station Road, Fordingbridge SP6 1DG
- When: Monday and Tuesday midday to 10pm, Wednesday to Saturday 8am to 10pm, Sunday 8am to 6pm
- Why: Train-themed pub, restaurant, and hotel offering accommodation, fine local food, and delicious desserts
- Stay over: Yes
If you’re looking for places to eat in Fordingbridge where you can also stay over, check out The Railway Hotel. It has five boutique-style en-suite rooms, plus a two-bedroom cottage in the grounds, a cosy fireplace, a beer garden, and the Pullman restaurant.
In 2023, the pub and hotel picked up the Best Boutique Hotel accolade SME News Magazine’s Best of British Getaways Awards. Dining in the railway carriage, in a booth, or at the covered platform 2 is a memorable experience.
Menus feature produce from the forest and the south coast, minimising food miles while maximising flavour. All special dietary needs can be catered for. Be sure to save space for dessert, as the chef has a passion for sweet treats.
6. The Horse & Groom
Best for wide-ranging menus
- Where: High Street, Woodgreen, Fordingbridge SP6 2AS
- When: Monday to Sunday midday to 11pm
- Why: An interesting menu including chef’s specials and trial dishes, with ponies wandering by outside
- Stay over: No
For those seeking pubs in Godshill, Fordingbridge, The Horse and Groom is north of Godshill Wood and Sandy Balls holiday park, and east of Breamore. Think rustic meets modern and you have the idea: painted panelling, wood flooring and furniture, and real ales on tap.
Sit out the front of this redbrick inn and you might even be visited by a wandering New Forest pony. Or snuggle up inside before devouring slowly cooked ribs, roasted cauliflower mac ‘n’ cheese, saddleback chicken, or a meat-free burger or pasta dish. Weekly chef’s specials and trial dishes also sit alongside the main menu.
Smothered fries with various toppings and modern-style basket meals are also a thing here. Think pulled pork or tuna melt piled onto triple cooked chips, or halloumi, scampi, or chilli nachos in a basket.
7. The Fighting Cocks
Best for pizza, burgers, and puddings
- Where: Godshill, Fordingbridge SP6 2LL
- When: Monday to Saturday 10.30am to 10.30pm, Sunday 11.30am to 10pm
- Why: An eco, family and pet friendly pub serving unique burgers and pizzas plus rib-sticking British puddings
- Stay over: No
The Fighting Cocks in Godshill is another of the dog-friendly pubs in the Fordingbridge area. Catering to all, it’s one of the New Forest’s most eco-conscious venues, using recyclable paper and glass where possible, their own compost, automatic lighting, and local New Forest Marque produce.
The immediate vicinity played its part in World War II, as where the so-called “bouncing bomb” was tested. Locally, bomb holes from the testing can still be seen today.
If you love old school, rib-sticking desserts you’ll be in heaven here: the desserts board features favourites like sponge puddings, spotted dick and bread-and-butter pudding.
As well as British and international favourites, the savoury options include a good selection of pizzas – including Meat the Fockers and American Gangster – plus burgers like Finding Nemo and the Appetite for Destruction. Pop culture ahoy.
8. The Crown
Best for a Sunday roast
- Where: 62 High Street, Fordingbridge SP6 1AX
- When: Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm, Sunday midday to 11pm
- Why: A superb Sunday roast served at this pub slap-bang in the town centre, with football shown on the big screens
- Stay over: No
The Crown is located in the heart of Fordingbridge, so it’s perfect when you want to drop into a town centre pub for drinks, lunch, or dinner. Ideally, head here on a Sunday for the roast dinner, which offers plates piled high with a good range of meat, vegetables and accompaniments. Including, of course, the ubiquitous Yorkshire pudding.
This is a good pub for sports fans, with football shown on a number of screens around the room. A proper British pub with good food, friendly staff, and a very convenient location.
9. The Compasses Inn
Best for Nepalese and Indian food
- Where: East End, Damerham, Fordingbridge SP6 3HQ
- When: Monday to Sunday 11am to midnight
- Why: British and international favourites, plus Nepalese and Indian fare on the Nepalese Gurkha Kitchen menu
- Stay over: Yes
The Compasses Inn is situated in Damerham, a village about three-and-a-half miles from Fordingbridge. It’s a multi-purpose venue, offering boutique-style accommodation as well as food and drink served all day.
The Compasses Inn is not only in a picturesque spot, it’s also a place with a real sense of community. Here you can meet the locals while listening to live music, watch the local cricketers playing in summer, and sample food from a five-mile radius where possible.
In addition to the pub bistro menu, featuring the sort of pub fare you might expect, there’s the Nepalese Gurkha Kitchen menu. This showcases spicy curries from Nepal, and other Indian-influenced favourites such as butter chicken, vegetable madras, lamb rogan josh, or prawn dhansak. Deliciously different when you fancy a change.
The Compasses Inn also offers front and back gardens. You can also stay over in one of the seven rooms, or two cottages.
10. The Bat and Ball
Best for sustainable hydroponics
- Where: Breamore, Fordingbridge SP6 2EA
- When: Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday midday to 10pm, Sunday midday to 7pm, closed Tuesday and Wednesday
- Why: Sample authentic South African bobotie, and see hydroponics in action at the on-site HydroGrange
- Stay over: No
Not one but three wood burners, plus a heated outdoor dining teepee, help to make The Bat and Ball stand out. There’s also a vast outdoor garden with games for all the family to play. At the time of writing, the pub was also a Great British Pub Awards 2023 finalist, in the Sustainable Pub of the Year category.
One means of reducing food miles employed by The Bat and Ball is to grow their own produce with the help of hydroponics. Staff are happy to to show you around their HydroGrange during your visit.
Food served at The Bat and Ball is British-based, with a South African influence evident in dishes like bobotie, a baked mince dish flavoured with almonds and served with coconut rice, salsa, and chutney.
Which pubs in Fordingbridge will you dine, drink, or sleep at?
In this part of the New Forest, local pubs double up as the finest Fordingbridge restaurants, offering relaxed dining, top-notch drinks, live music, and more. Whether you crave river views or want to sample authentic Nepalese fare, there’s a pub in or close to Fordingbridge with your name on it.
If you want to stay locally, why not book a bed at The Ship Inn, The Railway Hotel, or The Compasses Inn? Alternatively, the incongruously named Sandy Balls holiday park nearby has plenty of accommodation options to offer – and outstanding amenities, too.
Want to find more New Forest pubs? Then take a look at my guides to the best pubs in Burley, Lyndhurst, Milford on Sea, and Lymington?
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