DAY 1
We arrived at the campsite in the morning of the 14th. We'd chosen to stay next to the little village of Ashurst, where there were plenty of services in case we needed anything and was a mere 2 miles from Lyndhurst, deemed to be the 'capital' of the New Forest. The campsite was really nice, luckily we'd picked to visit out of peak season so it wasn't too crowded and the staff were very friendly and welcomed us onto the site. The New Forest is famous for its animals that roam freely through the National Park, especially the beautiful New Forest Ponies, many of which wandered happily through the campsite, as Hannah shows in the picture above. We pitched the tent before adventuring off for our first insight into the New Forest environment for a picnic. We came across a stunning woodland which featured not only the famous ponies but also deer and cattle, enjoying the summer weather just as much as we were. The afternoon was very relaxed as we continued on exploring further into the woods. We came across wonderful fields full of life, igniting our excitement to further explore the New Forest over the coming days. We headed back, enjoyed dinner at the local pub 'The Happy Cheese' before settling in for an early night in preparation for the following day.
DAY 2
The night before our second day, Hannah and I had picked up as many leaflets as we could carry to see what we could plan for the next day. After discovering a 'New Forest Tour Bus' with 3 different routes, we settled on seeing where that could take us and what we could do. We caught it early morning, travelling via the 'Green Route' stopping in Brockenhurst, Lymington and Beaulieu. When stopped off in Brockenhurst, we phoned through to a place where you could hire kayaks in Lymington to find out the prices. We then decided we should go for it, without having ever kayaked before or wearing any of the right clothing to do so. We arrived in Lymington and made our way to the quay, where we were set to kayak, or at least try to! After being suited up in our life jackets and mistaking 'dry bag' to be some sort of sophisticated jargon (but literally meaning a bag for our belongings) - the man who helped and served us was most probably awfully worried for us by this point - we made our way to the water, filled with excitement and nerves. We were both surprised how easy kayaking was and after a little practice we became more and more confident and our two hour adventure began. I am so glad we chose to do kayaking. I must admit, I was nervous and knowing we had no knowledge or experience with kayaking, I was terrified we'd fall out or something, especially knowing our luck! It was so much fun though and I would really recommend it to anyone up for a laugh and adventure with their friends or family! After this, we were quite happy to relax by the river in Beaulieu Village. This was a nice conclusion to a packed day, along with a nice meal at 'The Forest Inn' after which we fell asleep, pretty worn out and sunburnt from all our activities!
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| *Disclaimer* The animals we petted and took pictures with in the New Forest, we approached with caution and as soon as we saw they were comfortable, went on to pet them. They did not react negatively or appear unhappy when we did so. We didn't do this for every animal we came across and are well aware that some of the animals in the New Forest aren't as comfortable with human interaction as others. Also, although it looks like it in the picture above, I assure you I was not feeding the donkey! |
DAY 3
On our third day, we decided to hire bikes locally in Ashurst, something we were certain we wanted to do from first planning the holiday. We cycled the two mile trip to Lyndhurst, the unofficial 'capital' of the New Forest, and upon arrival, were eager to explore the town and environment around. We first greeted a few animals that relaxed by the gates, who gave us a warm welcome into the surrounding land, filled with nature and beauty as far as the eye could see. Shortly after, we made our way down the high street. Lyndhurst boasts lots of cute and quirky shops, as well as a large variety of cafés selling delicious 'New Forest Ice Cream', an absolute must when you visit of course! After enjoying a short exploration of the local shops, a peaceful lunch in the solitude of the open countryside and befriending a couple of adorable donkeys, we headed off for what would be the longest bike ride I've ever experienced. We'd bought a cycle map in the morning and chose a route near Lyndhurst, but also with lots of different options for where to go. We cycled along the path through the woods, our eyes constantly scanning the surroundings for any wildlife. It was so peaceful to cycle through this part of the New Forest, away from the roads and busy tourist spots to simply enjoy the area and beauty within it. We caught sight of buzzards and deer on our adventure while having fun cycling up and down hills - although we are guilty of walking up most of the hills, especially towards the end! - and along the paths under the summer sun. Four hours later, at about 9pm, we finally made it back to Ashurst to return our bikes and placed a rather large order at the local Fish and Chips shop, hungry and thoroughly worn out from our trip in and around Lyndhurst.
DAY 4
We woke bright and early on our final day to give us enough time to put the tent down, pack all our things away as well as get ready for the day we still had planned. Once we'd cleared everything, we said our final goodbyes to the campsite, that had treated us well for the past couple nights, and the ponies, that had kept us company - one even poked their head into our tent that morning! We planned to visit 'Longdown Activity Farm' for the day, where you have the chance to feed and hold lots of different farm animals. The farm was quite small but there was so much to do. We got to see so many cute animals that were roaming around in the lush weather. It was quite funny how we were seemingly the oldest people there that didn't have children! It was such a fun experience though; I love animals and it was so nice to just spend a day watching all the cute pigs, little ducklings and adorable donkeys happy and doing what they do best. We also saw the smallest and sweetest baby guinea pigs, something I've never seen before, running around in their little pen - trust me, it was far more exciting than it sounds. All in all, the day was much more relaxed and not as jam-packed as the rest, which was definitely for the best as we were quite worn out by this point. We still had a lot of fun at the farm, feeding the animals, bouncing on the trampolines and just acting like big kids for the day! We the made our final trip to the local pub for a refreshing cold drink to cool us down before making our way back home, having had one of the best times ever.
This little holiday was one I won't forget. If I had to choose one word to sum it up, it would be hilarious! I had so much fun with my best friend and it was a great experience to not only have the chance to choose whatever we wanted to do but also decide it all spontaneously! I really hope I get the opportunity to do something like this again and would recommend each and every thing we did to anyone wanting to get away and explore the New Forest!
- Becca x
