The New Forest National Park â€“ A Holiday With A Difference

Posted on | May 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment

The Idea for national parks first started in the United States and one of the first national park was Yosemite of course.

Since that time many other countries have adopted this way of protecting and preserving the unspoilt habitats of the world for future generations and for the preservation of endangered species as well and the New Forest National Park is simply a must visit if you are planning on a vacation to the UK

The New Forest has a few endangered species itself but nothing like the American bald eagle that is now increasing in numbers due thankfully. The New Forests most wildly known species are of course the deer and the lovable little roguish New Forest Pony.

Centuries and centuries ago The New Forest was to all intents and purposes open land but then one of the kings on of the day decided to make it a royal forest only to be used for the royal pursuit of hunting, and local folk who had lived off the land for centuries found themselves unable to hunt the land for food to feed their family, penalties for contravening the law were severe and in later time fatal.

Fortunately over time sanity prevailed and today you will find many animals wandering the forest grazing as the local “commoners” exercise their right to graze their live stock on the common ground.

The New Forest is also home top some of the oldest woodland in England with an oak tree said to be over 400 years old, Not as grand and the giant redwoods although there are a few of those here as well.

A holiday in the New Forest opens up a wide diversity of activities for those on vacation here from simply going on one of the forest walks to mountain biking (only not too many mountains here so very suitable for younger children) and if you are a horse rider then you will be in seventh heaven as there are no riding restriction across the open country side.

There are some fantastic places to stay including olde worlde New Forest Cottages that back onto the forest itself.

If you prefer the outdoor lifestyle then the forest has a number of designated campsites with and without facilities so you can camp the easy way or the hard way , the choice is up to you.

A holiday in this part of England isn’t only restricted to the forest though as just a short drive away you have some of the best beaches in England all with blue flag designations for their cleanliness.

Poole in the County of Dorset is not only famous for having one of the worlds largest harbours, but also for the number of famous people who live here, and one particular area has the most expensive house prices in the whole of England
All in all the South Coast of England makes for a fantastic UK family vacation