January days out in the New Forest

Here are our favourite ways to spend a January day.

GO OUTDOORS

The New Forest puts you in the prime position for some beautiful wintery walks. Within a 5-minute drive of each other you have both the forest and the beach, so you’ll have your pick of scenic locations.

Our favourite beaches include Highcliffe and Chewton Bunny beach which sits below Hoburne Naish and looks across the water to the Isle of Wight, and Mudeford beach which is just down the road in Dorset which is also a very popular spot for fish and chips on the quay!

For forest walks, our favourite spots include Hincheslea Moore and Roydon Woods where if you’re lucky (and quiet) enough, you may spot a variety of deer including fallow, muntjac and roe.

 JOIN THE LOCALS

When we say ‘locals’ the New Forest has some rather different residents than you might expect! Ponies, cows, donkeys and even pigs are free to roam in certain areas of the forest. The quaint villages of Brockenhurst, Burley and Lyndhurst are the ideal place to spot them in their natural habitat and boast many tearooms, gift shops and bakeries.

If you’re a fan of the four-legged, then Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary is also nearby where a large herd of fallow deer can usually be seen from a viewing platform. It also makes the perfect place to get some holiday snaps! 

THEMED FUN

It’s not all about the animals in the New Forest, but we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t a large part of life there! Have the opportunity to feed and hold farm animals such as chicks and goats at Longdown Activity Farm or see more exotic animals such as the giant otter, butterflies and even wolves at New Forest Wildlife Park!

For the younger thrill-seeker, Paultons Park is ideal and has a variety of indoor and outdoor areas. With rollercoasters, themed play parks, Peppa Pig World, Critter Creek and Little Africa to name a few attractions, you could easily spend a whole day there!

TRAVEL BACK IN TIME

Being proclaimed as a royal forest by William the Conqueror following the Norman Conquest in 1079, there is a lot of history in and around the New Forest.

Take a trip through the history of the motor car along with a behind the scenes snapshot into life in the Montagu family home during its Victorian heyday at Beaulieu National Motor Museum. Explore the remains of the Rockbourne Roman Villa in Fordingbridge, or head to Bucklers Hard to marvel at all things maritime.