The New Forest is a large national park in Hampshire, close to Bournemouth. It is very popular with tourists and holidaymakers and is a beautiful place to walk, horse ride or cycle in. Despite its name, the New Forest is neither new nor a forest. It is over 900 years old and less than half of it is forest. The Forest is 93,000 acres (145 square miles) in area and is the largest unenclosed area in Southern England. It is a mixture of deciduous and coniferous woodland, heaths, bogs, streams and estuaries. Ponies, cattle, pigs and donkeys are allowed to roam freely, but are privately owned and grazed under an ancient system or grazing rights for the ‘Commoners’ (local people) under the control of Verderers and Agisters.

William the Conqueror took the New Forest as his Royal hunting ground in 1079. 20 years later his son, William II - nicknamed Rufus for his red face and quick temper - became one of the first 'royal' quarries killed in the forest. Was it an accident or assassination? Nine centuries later debate continues over the death of the king killed by an arrow reputedly fired by Sir Walter Tyrrell, one of the hunting party in August 1100. Several centuries later another king, the uncrowned Charles II, was being hunted by Roundheads in the New Forest. He hid in an oak tree to escape before fleeing to France. But there was no escape for Charles's illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth, whose rebellion against his uncle James II ended in custody at Ringwood following defeat at the battle of Sedgemoor in 1685.

In the 18th century the oaks in the forest became a source of timber for the Royal Navy and a shipyard at Buckler’s Hard on the Beaulieu River built some of the famous wooden ships of England.

While kings and wars have come and gone, many of the forest's ancient traditions of commoning and hunting overseen by the Verderers at the historic Court of Sweyne Mote still continue as the New Forest enters the 21st century. There are many things to do in the New Forest apart from walking or cycling. You can visit: Exbury Gardens, Furzey Gardens or Braxton Gardens. There are animal attractions such as The New Forest Otter & Owl Centre, The New Forest Badger Watch and Marwell Zoo. Lyndhurst has a visitors’ information centre which tells the history of the forest and also shows how it is cared for today. Beaulieu, Burley, Buckler’s Hard, Brockenhurst, Lymington and Lyndhurst are towns or villages in the New Forest that are worth visiting.