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Image References:
10. Kingfisher 11. Hurst Castle
15. Bioblitz 2011 16. Calshot
19. Inclusive cycling, Blackwater
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12. Horserider, Aldridge Hill 13. Lousewort 14. Cycling
17. Brickwork, Beaulieu 18. Pig Farmer, Tatchbury
20. Dartford warbler on gorse 21. Wild gladiolus
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densely-populated National Park in the UK, with 61
people per square kilometre.
10 Population: 34,935 – making the New Forest the most
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Public footpaths: 235 kilometres or 146 miles. Laid
end-to-end the paths would stretch from Brockenhurst
to Birmingham.
Listed buildings: 610 – ranging from palaces and
country houses such as Palace House at Beaulieu, Hale
Park and Exbury House to many smaller typical cottages
built of brick, timber-frame or cob – clay mixed with
water, straw, sand and earth.
Area: 56,658 hectares or 218 square miles. You could
fit six New Forests into Britain’s largest National Park, the
Cairngorms.
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Woodland: 22,379 hectares or 86 square miles – four
and a half times the size of the city of Southampton.
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Heathland and grassland: 16,000 hectares or 61
square miles. Heathland is rarer globally than rainforest.
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Farmland: 14,849 hectares or 57 square miles –
equivalent to 18,500 football pitches.
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Coastline: 42 kilometres or 26 miles – the length of a
marathon.
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Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs): 32,103
hectares or 124 square miles – nearly as big as the Isle of
Wight, which covers 147 square miles.
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Scheduled Ancient Monuments: 214 – including sites
of former royal hunting lodges, barrows, small hill-top
forts and boundary banks.
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Figures
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Cover images courtesy of Barry Whitcher
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© Mike Read
Get involved!
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© Barry Whitcher
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Sign up for e-news: www.newforestnpa.gov.uk
Visit the New Forest Centre: www.newforestcentre.org.uk
Buy local produce and look out for the New Forest Marque:
www.newforestproduce.com
Take a trip on the New Forest Tour: www.newforesttour.info
Join in an event: www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/events
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National Park status is the highest level
of countryside protection, putting the
New Forest in the premier league of UK
and world landscapes.
National Parks also have a duty to seek to foster the social and
economic well-being of local communities within the Park.
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people can appreciate and enjoy it.
the natural beauty, wildlife and history are protected
The New Forest was made a National Park to ensure that:
A National Park is an area of exceptional natural beauty
with great opportunities for outdoor recreation that needs
special protection and management.
National Park?
Top
What is a
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The New Forest is the smallest National Park
in the UK
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The highest point in the National Park is near Bramshaw at
around 135m or 443 feet
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The tallest tree is a Wellingtonia (giant sequoia) on the
Rhinefield Drive which is 55 metres or 178 feet high
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The oldest tree is a common yew at St Nicholas’ Church,
Brockenhurst, which is believed to be 1,000 years old
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A higher proportion of the New Forest National Park
than any other in England is of national or international
importance for nature conservation – 56%
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The National Park has most of the valley mires in north
western Europe – 75% or 90 out of the 120 mires
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The New Forest is the only place in Britain where the wild
gladiolus grows
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The New Forest is home to the UK’s largest breeding
population of the rare Dartford warbler
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The oldest human evidence in the National Park is from the
Stone Age
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The Isle of Wight became separated from what is now the
New Forest 9,000 years ago
Top
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to the New Forest National Park
Pocket
Guide
Facts
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Welcome
Caring for
the New Forest
Deer remain a common sight. The New Forest National
Park is home to over 34,000 people with many
thousands more on the doorstep, yet it remains one of
the last places in the south of England to offer a sense
of wildness and tranquillity.
The New Forest National
Park is a special place.
Its unique landscape has been shaped over the centuries by
grazing ponies, cattle and pigs which roam free. Although the
animals appear to be wild, they are owned by people called
commoners who have historic rights to graze them here.
The New Forest is a place of outstanding natural beauty,
which is one of the reasons it was made a National Park in
2005. It is a unique mixture of ancient woodland, heathercovered heath, wide lawns, boggy mires, farmland, rivers and
streams, picturesque villages and unspoilt coastline. It includes
the largest remaining area of lowland heath in Europe.
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Enjoy: Make time to enjoy healthy exercise, fresh air,
beautiful surroundings and rich wildlife. Plan your route
to be out of Forestry Commission car parks by dusk.
The National Park’s special wildlife, landscape,
archaeology and culture are vulnerable to the changing
climate. But we can all do our bit to help. Why not use
the train or bus to get around
and help to keep the New Forest
National Park a special place
today and tomorrow?
Cycling: Do enjoy the extensive network of offroad routes, but keep to the waymarked tracks
or bridleways; give way to walkers and horseriders,and call out a warning when approaching them. On
narrow roads, ride in single file and never more than two
abreast; wear bright colours to be visible and always use
lights in the dark.
Birds: To help ground nesting birds rear their young
safely, keep yourself and your dogs on the main tracks
from the beginning of March to the end of July.
Dogs: TThe New Forest is great for dogs but to minimise
disturbance to wildlife, livestock and other people,
please keep your dogs close by you and visible at all
times – if necessary use a lead. Pick up after your dog, especially
around car parks, on paths and where people play or picnic.
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The New Forest also merits National Park status because it is a
wonderful place to explore on foot, on horseback, or by bike
with many miles of marked trails.
Image References:
1. Yellow horned poppy, Hurst
2. Beach Huts, Calshot
3. Sand Lizard, Reptile Centre
4. Bluebell woods, Roydon
5. Foal in heather, Longslade
6. Dog walking, Rhinefield
7. Horseriding on the heath, Burley
8. Mare and foal, Whitemoor
9. Family cycling, Brockenhurst
The New Forest is special too for its extraordinary diversity of
plants and animals. Rarities include the wild gladiolus, silverstudded blue butterfly, the Dartford warbler and reptiles like
the sand lizard.
William the Conqueror set aside
the Forest for hunting more than
900 years ago and he would
probably recognise much of it
today.
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Camping: There are excellent designated sites
to pitch your tent or caravan. Wild camping is
not allowed.
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.
Parking: Please park only in designated car parks, not
on a verge or in gateways. Lock your car, taking any
valuables with you.
Litter: Please take your litter home.
Driving: The speed limits on unfenced roads greatly
reduce the number of accidents involving animals.
Slow down and give walkers, cyclists, horse-riders and
animals a wide berth. Be especially careful at night.
Contact us
Ponies: There is plenty of natural food for the
grazing animals so please don’t feed them. It’s
against the byelaws and human food can harm
them. Some hand-fed ponies become aggressive with
people who, quite rightly, keep their picnics to themselves.
Even stroking ponies is dangerous – they may look friendly
but they can bite and kick, especially mares with foals.
Fire: Because uncontrolled forest fires are a great
threat, campfires are not allowed in the New Forest
without the permission of the landowner. 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).
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Donkeys, Sway
New Forest National Park Authority
Lymington Town Hall
Avenue Road
Lymington
Hampshire
SO41 9ZG
Main telephone number: 01590 646600
Fax: 01590 646666
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.newforestnpa.gov.uk
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Join us on
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© New Forest National Park Authority 2013
All images from New Forest National Park Photographic Library
Designed and produced by Generator (Creative Energy) Ltd. Tel: 01425 651951
Top 10 things
to see and do
The New Forest National Park
Key
The famous New Forest pony. There are over
4,000 ponies roaming free. You will find them within
the shaded green area of the map and even in the main
streets of some villages such as Burley and Brockenhurst.
Spot the brand marks that show who owns the pony or the
different tail-clippings that indicate in which part of the Forest
the pony belongs. Please don’t feed or touch the ponies –
they are usually friendly
but they have been known
to kick and bite.
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National Park boundary
M27
Motorway
Theme park
Perambulation boundary
– where animals roam free
A31
Dual Carriageway
Waymarked footpath
A36
Primary A-Road
Viewpoint
A35
Secondary A-Road
Picnic site
B-Road
Country park
Green New Forest Tour
Summer only
Minor Road
Garden
Other Road
Tourist feature
Blue New Forest Tour
Summer only
Parking
Cathedral / Abbey
Information
Museum
Telephone
Building of
historic interest
District boundaries
Red New Forest Tour
Summer only
B3055
Solent Way footpath
Ferry Crossing
Camp / Caravan site
This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with
the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller
of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright.
Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and
may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. New Forest
3.
National Park Authority licence number 100014703 2011.
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Castle / Fort
Golf course
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The New Forest Centre. The Centre, in the main car park
in Lyndhurst, has fascinating displays about New Forest life
and history and is the place to start your visit. There are changing
exhibitions, a well-stocked visitor information centre, a shop for all
your New Forest gifts and even a reference library which is the best
source of New Forest information anywhere. (See map for location)
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on the beach. Visit Lepe Country Park, Calshot or
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Buckler’s Hard to find evocative remnants of the country’s
wartime past including structures used for D-Day during World
War II and a shipbuilding industry dating back to Nelson’s time.
(See map for locations)
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Bugs and beasties. The New Forest National Park is a
world capital for wildlife. Bring your binoculars and a wild
flower book and see what you can find.
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Autumn colours and fabulous
fungi. From September to December
you may catch a spectacular show of golden
leaves in any of the National Park’s wooded
areas. There are said to be 2,700 types of
mushrooms and toadstools in the New
Forest. If you look carefully, you will discover
a magical world at your feet.
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Brilliant views of the
Isle of Wight. From
many places on the Solent Way
footpath, you will feel as if you
can reach out and touch the
island. There are regular ferries
from Lymington which give
great views of the New Forest
from the water.
New Forest produce.
Why not try some of the
delicious local produce bearing
the New Forest Marque from
local shops and cafes?
www.newforestproduce.com
tour. Get a bird’s-eye view of the Forest from
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the New Forest Tour bus in the summer months. There
are three great circular routes which take in the New Forest
landscape, towns and villages, visitor attractions and links with
rail and ferry connections. Go to www.thenewforesttour.info
Or leave the car behind, take the train and enjoy a bike ride or
walk – there are four stations in the heart of the National Park.
(See map for locations)
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Lyndhurst visitor information centre: 023 8028 2269
www.newforestnpa.gov.uk or www.thenewforest.co.uk
Image References:
1. Ponygrazing, Longslade 2. D-Day remains, Hurst Castle
3. New Forest Centre, Lyndhurst 4. Fungi on oak, Burley
5. Fishing with views of Isle of Wight 6. Local produce,
Loosehanger Cheese 7. New Forest Tour Bus
8. Highland bullock, Milking Pound Bottom
9. Gorse flowers 10. National Park Explorer
11. Local Information Point, Brockenhurst
12. Horseriders, Backley
13. Beaulieu
Audio trails. Download
trails to your MP3 player
from our website (www.newforestnpa.gov.uk)
covering a range of cultural connections with the
New Forest and enjoy the suggested walks at your leisure.
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Exciting events. Join one of the hundreds of events that
take place all over the Forest, from rambles with a ranger
to family fun days or a Date with Nature. Pick up a copy of the
New Forest Essential Guide (visitor newspaper) or check out our
website at www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/events for details.
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More information
New Forest
National Park
Authority
offices
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National Park local information points in Beaulieu,
Brockenhurst, Burley, Hythe, Landford, Milford-on-Sea,
Minstead, Sway and Woodgreen
The National Park Explorer van which travels around the
National Park and the surrounding area
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Ask a National Park Ranger at an event or when they are
out and about in the New Forest
Consider using public transport: www.transportdirect.info
An introduction to the National Park is available in 24
different languages at www.newforestnpa.gov.uk
Download ‘New Forest UK’ free from the iTunes store for
your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch for a growing range of
eBooks from the New Forest National Park Authority and
New Forest District Council
Other formats
Contact us if you would like to receive
the Pocket Guide in another format
such as large-print or Braille.