Are you planning a trip to the New Forest, and wondering what you should know before you go?
This New Forest guide will walk you through everything you need to know before heading to this breathtakingly beautiful part of Hampshire.
Read on to find out about:
- Emergencies
- Transport
- What to Do & Where to Go
- Accommodation, Dining, & Shopping
- New Forest Wildlife
- Saving Money
and a lot more!
Before Beginning
Popular pages
This New Forest travel site also offers lots of helpful information to make your trip to this beautiful place even better. The most popular categories are:
Emergencies
Call 999, the UK number, or 111 for the police, the fire service, and ambulances.
Accident & Emergency departments (A&E)
The closest A&E departments to the New Forest are:
- University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Rd, Southampton SO16 6YD
- Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Castle Lane East, Bournemouth BH7 7DW
- Salisbury District Hospital, Odstock Rd, Odstock, Salisbury SP2 8BJ
These are open 24 hours a day, for any injuries or medical issues requiring immediate attention.
Lymington Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC)
- Lymington New Forest Hospital, Wellworthy Road, Lymington SO41 8QD
- Open: 8am to 9pm, 365 days a year
This is not the same as A&E. It’s for minor injuries and urgent medical problems that cannot wait for a GP appointment (normally within 48 hours), but do not require emergency treatment.
New Forest Weather
If you visit the New Forest in the winter expecting snow, you might well be disappointed. It doesn’t snow very often here, close to the sunny south coast. Though it’s not unheard of, especially on the eastern side of the National Park.
This is one of the warmer parts of the UK. July and August are the hottest months, closely followed by June and September. May and October are also among the warmer months of the year.
It’s colder between November and April, particularly during the winter months of December, January, and February.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Days of rain |
| January | 3°C | 8°C | 12 |
| February | 2°C | 8°C | 10 |
| March | 4°C | 10°C | 10 |
| April | 5°C | 13°C | 8 |
| May | 8°C | 16°C | 8 |
| June | 10°C | 19°C | 7 |
| July | 13°C | 21°C | 6 |
| August | 13°C | 21°C | 6 |
| September | 11°C | 18°C | 8 |
| October | 8°C | 15°C | 10 |
| November | 5°C | 11°C | 11 |
| December | 3°C | 9°C | 11 |
New Forest Transport
You can get around the New Forest independently on foot, by bicycle, or in a car. Public transport options, meanwhile, include trains and buses.
Walking
There are 140 miles of footpaths across the New Forest. Stick to these signposted walkways where possible, so you don’t disturb local wildlife.
Cycling
100 miles of cycle routes, many of which are off-road, criss-cross the New Forest. You should follow these, which are marked by wooden posts, rather than cycling wherever you please. This is to avoid damaging flora and fauna.
Bike hire is available throughout the area. You can access a New Forest Cycle Map via the Forestry England website.
Driving
If you’re bringing or hiring a car, this is generally a nice place to drive, especially outside the bigger towns. Here’s a few helpful hints about driving in the New Forest.
Parking
Local towns and villages have car parks. Outside these, there are plenty of places to park your car before heading off to explore on foot or by bike. These are marked by wooden signs. You’ll see cars parked up at each, anyway, while driving along.
Such parking spots are generally free to use. Simply check signage for time or any other restrictions.
Speed limits
The strict speed limits in the forest should be observed. They’re there for a reason – to protect local wildlife. Sadly, New Forest ponies are often killed, or at least injured, by careless drivers. The same applies to deer, and other smaller creatures.
Cattle grids
You’ll come across cattle grids when driving around. The best way to approach these is not to slow down too much. Driving over them at a slightly reduced pace, rather than slowly, makes for a sleeker ride.
Trains
There are nine train stations across the New Forest. You can reach the area in around 90 minutes from London Waterloo. It’s also easy to reach Bournemouth, Poole, Southampton, and beyond by train from Brockenhurst, Christchurch, New Milton, and more.
Brockenhurst is in the centre of the New Forest area, with Beaulieu Road, Ashurst, and Totton to the east, en route to Southampton. Sway, New Milton, Hinton Admiral, and Christchurch lie to the west, with Bournemouth and Poole beyond.
New Forest train stations
- Ashurst New Forest
- Beaulieu Road
- Brockenhurst
- Christchurch
- Hinton Admiral
- Lymington
- New Milton
- Sway
- Totton
Buses
The open-top New Forest tour bus is the best way for visitors to get around by bus. There are three routes, which are colour-coded. Between them they cover pretty much everywhere you’ll want to go.
The buses operate between late June and mid September. There’s around one service per hour, per route, between 9am and 5pm.
Find out how to get to Brockenhurst from London by train or car
Towns and Villages of the New Forest
Discover the main villages and towns of the New Forest in this post.
What to Do in the New Forest
Find a list of things to do in the New Forest here.
Packing for the New Forest
In the New Forest it’s all about embracing the outdoor life, so you’ll need to pack accordingly! Unless, of course, you intend to spend the entire time holed up in your luxury spa hotel.
Think wellies, waterproof jackets, and layers, rather than high heels, smart coats, and formal wear. According to the season, accessories like a beanie, scarf and gloves, or sunglasses and a cap or sunhat will be useful.
Where to Eat in the New Forest
Dining out can be one of the real pleasures of a visit to this region, which has the natural larders of the countryside and coastline to draw upon.
You can use the my guides to help you choose where to eat. They include the top 15 New Forest restaurants, the 10 best New Forest afternoon teas, and many more.
New Forest Accommodation
You can use this New Forest area and accommodation guide to work out where to stay. There’s also more accommodation options broken down by area or type in the Stay category.
Or browse New Forest accommodation at booking.com
Camping in the New Forest
The ultimate guide to New Forest camping will help you find the right campsite. Camping in the forest is strictly limited to regulated campsites only, and wild camping is not permitted.
New Forest Spas
There are spa hotels dotted all over the New Forest. These offer facilities such as pools, saunas, steam rooms, a range of beauty and wellness treatments, and much more. Some of the best are:
- Balmer Lawn Hotel & Saltus Spa, central Brockenhurst
- Careys Manor Hotel & SenSpa, central Brockenhurst
- New Park Manor, near Brockenhurst
- Rhinefield House, near Brockenhurst
- Burley Manor, central Burley
- Chewton Glen, near Barton-on-Sea, New Milton
- Sandy Balls holiday park, near Fordingbridge
Find more spa hotels in the New Forest at booking.com
Shopping in the New Forest
Retail options in the New Forest include farm shops, garden centres, supermarkets and a range of shops in villages and towns, particularly larger ones like Lymington, Lyndhurst, and Christchurch.
There’s even a weekly New Forest auction every Monday evening, held at Minstead Village Hall. Don’t miss this if you get the chance. It’s a local institution – and you have a good chance of bagging some real bargains!
New Forest Wildlife
Many feathered and furry creatures, reptiles, and insects thrive in the natural habitat of the New Forest. It’s common to see everything from dragonflies to deer, and of course the famous New Forest ponies.
Habitats
The diversity of species is because of the variety of terrain. There’s heathland, bogs, and wetlands as well as woodland. All this means the New Forest is a Special Protection Area (SPA) for Birds, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), and a Ramsar site (an internationally important Wetland).
Flora
In the New Forest, you can find some of the oldest trees in the land, particularly yews and oaks. There’s also some very rare plant species, including fungi, and some endangered flora. Hampshire Purslane is only found in the shallow waters of the New Forest.
Fauna
Reptiles
In terms of fauna, all six UK reptile species live here, including adders, sand lizards, and smooth snakes.
Insects
An incredible 75% of all species of damselflies and dragonflies also flit around the forest.
Birds
Rare birds including curlews, Dartford Warblers, nightjars, and woodlarks breed in the New Forest.
Deer
Four species of deer also inhabit the area – fallow, red, roe, and sika deer. The red deer is the largest mammal found in the UK.
Ponies
New Forest ponies are of course famous the world over. They’re permitted to roam freely across the forest. Speed limits exist to protect them, and by law any collision with a pony must be reported. Never, ever feed them – for the sake of their welfare and your own safety.
Find out more about New Forest ponies in this guide.
When to Visit the New Forest
With the area’s mild climate, the New Forest is a year-round destination. Summer is the most popular time to visit, though, particularly in the July and August school holiday period.
Some services are seasonal, such as campsites, Lymington Seawater Baths and the New Forest tour bus. But hotels, pubs, cafes, restaurants, and shops tend to be open all year round. Train timetables run all year, too.
Visit in May, September, or October for mild weather without the crowds. But it rarely gets very cold or snows in winter here. Therefore between November and April can also be good here, if you don’t mind wetter, colder conditions.
How to Save Money in the New Forest
The good news is that it’s quite easy to save money in the New Forest. Spending time among nature is the main reason many people visit, and it’s cheap or even free to walk and cycle around, exploring.
Save cash on places to stay by camping in summer, or booking as far ahead as you can for the best accommodation deals. You can also save money on food by buying food from supermarkets, picnicking, and eating at inexpensive cafes.
When to Book for the New Forest
If you want to visit during the school summer holidays – between late July and throughout August – then book accommodation as far ahead as you can.
If you’ll be travelling by rail, booking train tickets in advance can also get you the best deals. The same applies to hotels and other accommodation, or car hire, at any time of year.
Beyond the New Forest
One of the reasons to stay in the New Forest for longer is so you’ll have a chance to discover the wider area. Bournemouth and Poole are just to the west of the forest, and are musts for fans of beaches.