Trifter

The New Forest was originally called the New Hunting Forset. It was called this by William the Conqueror in 1079. Even since before then the romantic landscape has remained unchanged.

The land is divided into many different people who own the land. In 2005 around 90% of the land was owned by the crown. Much of the forestry was used as a source for the Royal Navy; however the Forestry commission passed a law in 1877, which put an end to this use of the forest.

The forest is still used today as a hunting ground. It has officially been named as a Royal Deer Hunting area, and the deer have been named as the King’s deer, and anyone who touched, or attempted to hunt them would be punished.

The National Park covers around 300Km2, which is approximately 74131 acres. Around 146 Km2 of this is broadleaf woodland, 118Km2 is heathland and grassland, 33Km2 is wet heathland and 84Km2 of tree plantations planted by the Forestry Commission since 1920. The Area is drained to the south by two rivers, Lymington and Beaulieu.  Although many people would regard the forest as natural beauty, the forest was initially man made by generations of monarchs who wanted to use the forest for recreational purposes.     

The wildlife in the park plays a large role in the forest. The most famous of these is probably the New Forest Ponies, which are normally between 13hh-14.2hh.The most common colours are Bay and Chestnut, and they are friendly all-round ponies who learn quickly. Every year registered Stallions are let out into the wild to continue the breed. Although the bred originated in England it has now gone world wide, with their being a New forest pony association in USA and Australia.

Cattle and Pigs also live in the park, tourists are asked to give the ponies and cattle a two meter birth if they want to have a passive reaction, although if coming across a pig, especially one with piglets, because they will have no hesitation in giving you a chase.

The International co-ordinates of the New Forest are 50°52′00″N 1°34′00″W, and the highest point is Piper’s Wait, which is 125 meters above sea level.  The Forest is known as a walkers paradise, with

Settlements around and in the New Forest

Many People regard Lyndhurst as the capital of the New Forest Abbotswell Hythe, Totton, Blissford, Burley, Brockenhurst, Fording Bridge, Frogham, Stuckton, Ringwood, Beaulieu, Bransgore, Lymington and New Milton are also small towns and villages that fall within and adjacent to the New Forest. To the west is Bournemouth and to the East is South Hampton.  

The New Forest is a honey pot for tourists. There are so many different activities you can do, from hunting to orienteering, riding to trekking. There are many different types of activities and all are catered for the locals and the commissions. It is a thoroughly enjoyable place for tourists to visit. 

The New Forest Tour

The New Forest Tour is an open topped bus that goes every hour. Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington, Beaulieu and Exbury Gardens. It is run by Solent Blue Linewhich is now called Blue Star, which is in a partnership with Hampshire County Council. The main idea of the bus was to reduce the tourist traffic on the roads, when it first opened the bus was just a bike trailer that would be driven around, it was still like that two years later.

Beaulieu is a small village in the New Forest. It grew up around Beaulieu Abbey., which was founded in 1204. Beaulieu is the home of the National Motor Museum, which exhibits the Golden Arrow, the Bluebird and over 300 other feats of modern motoring. Beaulieu is also the name of one of the two rivers that drain to the south. It is also the area where Palace House is situated. It looks over to the small village, across the river Beaulieu. In 1538, it was bought by the crown, this was during the dissolution of the Monasteries.  Since then it has been the Montagu home. Now it is seen as a classic example of a Gothic house since it was extended in the 16th and 19th century. It is still a member of the Treasure Houses of England, and the Montagues still live at the house, opening up parts of the house to the public on a daily basis.

The History of Beaulieu

Beaulieu is the birthplace of many legendries naval fleets, including Admiral Nelson’s fleet, however the industry started to decline, and the village started to change its industry to tourism. There is a Maritime Museum, and a small yachting marina, that is all that’s left of the ship yard. The Marina is called Bucklers Hard, and it was where Sir Frances Chichester started his solo voyage around the world, and where he came back to when he finished it.  Every year there used to be the Beaulieu Jazz Festival, and now every year there is a pop festival, where many people camp out, much like Glastonbury, apart on a much smaller scale.