National Parks – Walking In The New Forest

Within the New Forest three is really is something for all. There are miles of cycling trails, walking/hiking trails, boat trips along the coast considerable museums and historical sites to visit. There are 134 car parks open from March to November dotted all over the forest.

To ensure you get to see the absolute best and beauty of the New Forest it is a good idea to take up one of the many guided tours that are available within the Forest. The choice is yours and what your preference might be but experienced Forest Rangers offer tours either cycling, walking or horseback. This is a way to ensure you capture the entire beauty of the forest.

Expert guides can inform you about the natural marvels of the park, with walking tours given by wildlife experts, geologists and more throughout the year. No matter when you plan to take a holiday, there is always something to see, as events seem to happen somewhere in the park every single day of the year!

If you’d prefer some history along with your scenery and walk, the forest can offer that as well. Besides the abundance of museums located throughout the park, there are many historical homes and villages to visit during your stay in the area. Bucklers Hard, where Admiral Nelson’s fleet was built is just one of these places.

You will find the Visitors Centre will have an abundance of information for visitors to the New Forest. Because the Forest includes many miles of coastline and rivers on the south coast there are considerable aquatic attractions to be found in this marvellous park as well. Perhaps not surprisingly you can partake in water sports such as kayaking, wind surfing and sailing here or if not too keen in being too close to the water, there are many beautiful guided boat tours available.

The wildlife lover can quite literally have a field day walking around the park. Its status as a wildlife preserve means that there are many animal species here to be observed in their natural habitats. One of the best way to observe them is on one of the multitude of walks, whether guided or solitary in nature.

Amongst all the wildlife you will find deer in abundance hiding out in the depth of the trees. You might come across a herd of cows blocking your path in the road with all the time in the day and not bothering to let you pass. Horses and pony’s wandering aimlessly across the village green. This is life in the New Forest and just a tiny part of the beauty that this park has to offer.

Exbury Gardens in the New Forest although not a forest walk is a beautiful place to visit. The Gardens are situated in 200 acres and there are many miles of wonderful walkways. This is well worth a visit if you can fit it in during your trip.

If your planning a trip to the New Forest and plan to stay over night there is a good variety of New Forest cottages in the region where you can stay which can be found on the New Forest guides website.

Also while you are in the area make sure you visit the nearby city of Southampton which is renowned for its shopping experience and museums.