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Autumn has arrived in the New Forest National Park, and the landscape is bursting with vibrant colours as Mother Nature puts on her most spectacular show of the year.
This beautiful part of Hampshire is just the ticket for a long weekend or short break, offering plenty of opportunities to enjoy the fresh air, woodland wildlife and stunning scenery.
With its mostly flat terrain and only a few gentle hills, the New Forest is perfect for families and anyone who prefers leisurely strolls over challenging hikes. And after a day out, there’s nothing more lovely than to return to a New Forest Cottage with a cosy fire and to wake up to see the famous New Forest ponies and donkeys outside your window!
Here’s our round-up of what to see and where to stay for a New Forest holiday this autumn.
Where to go leaf peeping
The Bolderwood trail on Ornamental Drive is fun to walk through, with deciduous trees spiked with enormous, towering Douglas Firs. It’s easy to get to, just outside Brockenhurst, with plenty of parking. A couple of miles north, take a spin around the Rufus Stone loop, where the woods and heathlands' finest colours are on full display. And southeast of Lyndhurst, the trippy shades of Denny Wood are a visual feast courtesy of the forest’s mighty Oaks, Chestnuts, Silver Birches, Ash and Beech trees.
Where to stay: Rose Cottage near Lymington sleeps 6 and dog-friendly. Take a peek at this beautifully styled cottage with an open-log fire. Click here for more info
Mother Nature’s snack bar is fully stocked
Come with a tub and spy bushes of blackberries, sloes, and Rosehips groaning under the weight of their bounty. Whilst it is illegal to pick the vast numbers of wild mushrooms and fungi that grow in abundance in the forest, it’s fine to responsibly harvest them for personal use. But if you don’t know your ‘Cep’ from a ‘Death Cap’. Book a specialist identification tour with a local operator such as www.wildnewforest.co.uk
Where to stay: Stud Farm Barn in Sway is a sweet and cosy retreat for 2. It also offers a little bench bed in the lounge for an extra guest—a perfect choice for a small family. Find out more about Stud Farm Barn
Acorns beware: pigs are on patrol
September to November is New Forest Pannage Season. For 60 days, hundreds of domestic pigs are set free in the forest to forage the glut of acorns and beech mast nuts, which make the ponies, donkeys and cattle ill if they eat too many. Watching the pigs comically rooting around the roadside and trotting through village lanes is great fun to see and photograph – but beware of mother pig if you get too close to her piglets!
Where to stay: Trafalgar Gardens in Downton sleeps 8 guests and 2 dogs. Bring your friends and family to this large family home with two lounges with a toasty wood burner in each to cosy up after a long walk. Find out more about Trafalgar Gardens
Deer drama
The New Forest is full of Fallow, Roe, Sika, and Red Deer, and autumn hails The Rut. Listen out for the sound of Stags when they are rutting, which is their natural spectacle to fight for dominance over other stags for the females. They start by barking and roaring, then posturing before macho charging each other and clashing horns.
Where to stay: Speedwell Cottage sleeps 6 and dog-friendly. Curated for comfort with big plump sofas and a wood-burning stove, it’s the perfect pad to rally the troops for a weekend away. Find out more about Speedwell Cottage
Feasting in the forest
When you get hungry, the New Forest delivers great dining options, from centuries-old pubs and thatched country inns serving traditional fare to gourmet fine dining in trendy bistros and fancy restaurants. For a tasty lunch, try The Oak Inn, Lyndhurst, and the Beachcomber in Milford on Sea (a couple of miles south of the forest), which has fabulous views of the Isle of Wight, and The Mayflower in Lymington. For dinner, the dishes at The Pig in Brockenhurst always bring a smile and celebrity chef Angela Hartnett and colleague Luke Holder, aka Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood, spread the joy of a well-cooked Italian menu.
Sunnyside in Beaulieu sleeps 6 and dog-friendly. Oozing laid-back country luxe with the fun of donkeys and ponies peeping over your gate and woodland walks from the garden. Find out more about Sunnyside
Where to book your perfect hideaway
New Forest Cottages is the largest accommodation provider in New Forest, with over 170 holiday homes. You'll find cosy pads for 2, dog-friendly cottages with log fires, woodland cabins, luxurious townhouses, and large country homes sleeping 12. Take a look at their holiday cottage collection.
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This grand cottage, which sleeps six guests and up to two dogs, is near Lymington on Hampshire’s south coast and offers the perfect blend of a countryside and coastline holiday.
This is a happy hideaway for two lucky guests, with the option of a third bed for a child. You’ll find it in a wonderfully rural setting in three acres of grazing land between the picturesque villages of Sway and Tiptoe, south of the New Forest National Park, and just five miles from the beach at Milford on Sea.
This dog-friendly cottage, which sleeps 8 guests, is in a beautiful countryside location, close to the village of Downton in the New Forest National Park. It’s been crafted to offer lots of luxury comforts with plenty of space for friends and families to get together.
It’s all about location when it comes to this beautiful little cottage in the New Forest. Sleeping six guests, it’s just the ticket for those looking for an escape to the country holiday with the convenience of a great gastro pub and village shop within an easy toddle of the front door.
