7 of the Best Places to Visit in the New Forest

The best places to visit in the New Forest are Bolton's Bench at Lyndhurst, the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and its Tall Trees Trail, Blackwater Arboretum, the Bolderwood deer sanctuary, Beaulieu and the National Motor Museum, Buckler's Hard on the Beaulieu River, and the coast at Lymington. Between them you get giant redwoods, free-roaming ponies, historic villages and open heath, all inside a national park you can cross in under an hour.

The New Forest became a national park in 2005, but its story is far older. William the Conqueror set it aside as a royal hunting ground in about 1079, and the commoners' rights that came with it still shape the landscape you see today. This is part of our guide to camping in the UK's national parks, and it is written by Camping Sites in Britain, where you can find and compare campsites across the region.

The seven places worth your time

Here is the shortlist, roughly west to east, before we take each one in turn.

Place	Best for	Nearest village
Bolton's Bench, Lyndhurst	Ponies, easy walking, the forest capital	Lyndhurst
Rhinefield Ornamental Drive	Giant redwoods, the Tall Trees Trail	Brockenhurst
Blackwater Arboretum	A short accessible tree walk	Brockenhurst
Bolderwood deer sanctuary	Fallow deer from a viewing platform	Emery Down
Beaulieu	The National Motor Museum, abbey, village	Beaulieu
Buckler's Hard	Historic shipbuilding, river walks	Beaulieu
Lymington and the coast	Harbour, marshes, Isle of Wight ferry	Lymington

1. Bolton's Bench and Lyndhurst

Lyndhurst is the natural place to start, since it sits at the heart of the forest and calls itself the capital. On its eastern edge is Bolton's Bench, a low knoll crowned with a ring of yew trees, where ponies graze the open lawn right up to the car park. It is a gentle, flat spot for a first walk, and the paths lead straight out onto the heath.

The village has the New Forest Heritage Centre, a good spread of pubs and tearooms, and the grave of Alice Liddell, who inspired Alice in Wonderland, in St Michael and All Angels churchyard. Park in the main car park off the High Street, as roadside space is tight.

2. Rhinefield Ornamental Drive

The Rhinefield Ornamental Drive is the single most photographed road in the forest, a mile and a half of towering conifers planted from the 1850s. It runs between the A35 near Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst, and you can drive it slowly or, far better, park up and walk the Tall Trees Trail that threads through the giants.

Some of the coast redwoods and Douglas firs here top 50 metres, among the tallest trees in Britain. The trail is about a mile long, mostly level, and links to the Blackwater car park. Go on a weekday morning, because the small car parks fill fast in summer.

3. Blackwater Arboretum

Blackwater Arboretum is a small, enclosed collection of specimen trees a short step from the Tall Trees Trail, and it is the most accessible walk on this list. A firm, level path loops through the arboretum, so it suits wheelchairs, pushchairs and anyone who wants a proper forest without a proper hike.

It pairs neatly with Rhinefield, since the two share the same stretch of the Ornamental Drive. If you are chasing the best woodland in the park, our guide to the best campsites for exploring ancient woodlands is worth a read alongside this one.

4. Bolderwood deer sanctuary

Bolderwood is where you go to see the forest's fallow deer. A raised viewing platform looks out over a grassy sanctuary, and in the quieter parts of the day, especially early morning and late afternoon, the herd comes out to graze in the open. Bring binoculars, keep dogs on a lead, and keep your voice down.

The Bolderwood car park also has three waymarked walks of varying length and a picnic area under the trees. It sits just off the Ornamental Drive, so you can string Rhinefield, Blackwater and Bolderwood into one easy afternoon.

5. Beaulieu and the National Motor Museum

Beaulieu is the forest's big paid attraction, and it earns its ticket. The National Motor Museum holds more than 250 vehicles, from veteran cars to record breakers, and the same estate takes in the 13th-century abbey ruins, Palace House and its gardens. It is the one place here where you should budget for admission and half a day.

The village of Beaulieu outside the estate is free to wander, with a tidal millpond and a handful of shops. It makes a good wet-weather plan, since much of the museum is under cover.

6. Buckler's Hard

Buckler's Hard is a preserved 18th-century shipbuilding village, two neat terraces of cottages running down to the Beaulieu River. Warships for Nelson's navy were built on these slipways, and the maritime museum and restored cottages tell that story well.

You can walk the riverside path from Beaulieu to Buckler's Hard, a little over two miles each way through woodland and along the water, or take a river cruise in season. Either way it is one of the prettiest short walks in the park.

7. Lymington and the coast

Lymington is the forest's coastal edge, a Georgian market town with a cobbled quay, a Saturday market and a working harbour full of yachts. The Wightlink ferry to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight leaves from here, and the sea wall walk out past the old salt marshes and nature reserve is flat, open and full of birds.

From Lymington you are within easy reach of the shingle spit at Hurst and the beaches around Milford on Sea. It is the best base if you want the forest and the coast in one trip.

The ponies, pigs and commoners

The animals wandering the roads and lawns are not wild, and that surprises a lot of first-time visitors. The New Forest ponies, cattle and donkeys are owned by commoners, local people who hold ancient rights to graze their stock on the open forest. Those rights date back roughly nine centuries and are the reason the heath stays open rather than growing over.

In autumn comes pannage season, when commoners turn out pigs to eat the fallen acorns and beech mast that would otherwise poison the ponies. Give all the animals plenty of room, never feed them, and drive slowly, because collisions with stock are the forest's real hazard. Speed limits are low across the park for exactly this reason.

Wildlife stops for families

Two spots stand out if you are visiting with children. The New Forest Reptile Centre at Holidays Hill, near Lyndhurst, has outdoor enclosures where you can see native adders, grass snakes, sand lizards and slow worms in safety. It is a good place to learn what lives on the heath before you go walking on it.

For a proper forest lunch, Fritham in the quiet north of the park is home to the Royal Oak, a thatched, unspoilt pub with ponies on the green outside. The northern forest is emptier and wilder than the popular south.

Where to camp in the New Forest

Camping inside the national park is well organised, mostly through Camping in the Forest sites set among the trees at places such as Hollands Wood, Ashurst, Ocknell and Roundhill. These are large, back-to-nature sites where ponies often wander between the pitches, so keep food stored away. They book up early for school holidays and summer weekends.

If those are full, or you want more facilities, there are commercial parks and glamping sites around the fringes. You can browse and compare options on our campsites directory, and the neighbouring county to the west has plenty more coastal choice in our Dorset campsites listings. Getting between the sites is half the pleasure, and our guide to the best scenic drives to campsites makes the case for taking the long way round.

Frequently asked questions

What is the New Forest best known for?

Free-roaming ponies, cattle and pigs grazing open heath and ancient woodland. It became a national park in 2005 and began as William the Conqueror's royal hunting ground in about 1079. The commoners' grazing rights that keep the forest open still operate today.

Where can I see the New Forest ponies?

Almost everywhere, but reliable spots include Bolton's Bench at Lyndhurst, the lawns around Brockenhurst, and the green at Fritham. They roam freely, so drive slowly, keep your distance and never feed them. The ponies are owned by local commoners, not wild.

What is the best scenic drive in the New Forest?

The Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, a mile and a half of giant redwoods and Douglas firs between the A35 and Brockenhurst. Park and walk the Tall Trees Trail to see the tallest of them properly rather than just driving past.

Can you camp in the New Forest?

Yes. Camping in the Forest runs several large sites inside the park, such as Hollands Wood and Roundhill, and commercial parks sit around the edges. Wild camping is not allowed anywhere in the forest, so you must book a proper site.

Is Beaulieu worth visiting?

Yes, especially in wet weather. The National Motor Museum, 13th-century abbey ruins and Palace House sit on one estate, and the nearby shipbuilding village of Buckler's Hard is a short riverside walk away. Budget for admission and around half a day.

When is pannage season in the New Forest?

Autumn, usually running for around 60 days from September. Commoners turn out pigs to eat fallen acorns and beech mast, which are poisonous to the ponies. Exact dates are set each year by the Verderers, so check locally before a late-year visit.

The short version

String Rhinefield, Blackwater and Bolderwood into one woodland afternoon, give Beaulieu and Buckler's Hard a full day, and finish on the coast at Lymington. Watch for ponies on every road and book your pitch early.

Once your dates are set, browse our campsites directory or read more about camping in the UK's national parks to plan the rest of the trip.