New Forest National Park, Hampshire
If you’re staying at House on the Hill or Ortus House have a day out exploring the beautiful New Forest National Park, it’ll only take you just over half an hour to get there and this picturesque world of ancient woodlands, sun-dappled forest glades, wide open moors, and dramatic cliff tops is all yours to discover at your will. There are 40 miles of coastline with some brilliant family friendly beaches; Barton-on-sea and Mudeford Sandbank for making castles and fossil hunting, Calshot for watersports, and of course Bournemouth for all the time honoured traditions of a day at the seaside.
Inland you can go walking, cycling, and horse riding through miles of gorgeous countryside where you’ll have opportunities for wildlife spotting; animals roam free on the commons, pigs and sheep feed beneath the trees and of course, you’ll see plenty of the famous new forest ponies. If you go to the Moors Valley Country Park you’ll have 1,000 acres to explore and you can take a trail through the forest on Segways or swing through the treetops at Go Ape Moor Valley.
If you want to find out more about this former hunting ground go to the New Forest Centre at Lyndhurst; if art is your thing the Forest Arts Centre is a must, and for car enthusiasts the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is hard to beat. If you have tiny tots on board then take them to Peppa Pig World at Paulton’s Park.
There are historic houses and gardens to visit; Elizabethan Breamore House, Exbury House and Gardens, and Rhinefield House. Pootle about some of the towns and villages, like Lyndhurst, Lymington, Ringwood and Minstead where you can see Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's grave.
In a nutshell, it’s the perfect place for a holiday or a day out as there’s something for everyone; take a picnic, take the camera, make some wonderful memories.