The New Forest by Car: Roaming Stock, Lanes and Where to Stop
In the New Forest the animals have right of way in law as well as in practice, and the driving reflects it.
An unfenced landscape with animals in it
The New Forest is common land where ponies, cattle, donkeys and, for a season each autumn, pigs graze freely under ancient rights. They are owned but not fenced, and they wander onto roads, into car parks and through village greens without concern. Driving here therefore runs at a lower pace than the roads themselves would allow, and speed limits across much of the forest are set low for exactly that reason. Animals appear from behind gorse without warning, foals stay close to mares on either side of the road, and evening and early morning are the highest risk periods.
Pannage, verges and the things not to do
Pigs are turned out in autumn to eat fallen acorns, which are poisonous to ponies. It is a working practice, not a display, and the pigs are entirely unbothered by traffic. Feeding any of the animals is prohibited and genuinely harmful, since it draws them towards roads and car parks. Parking on the verges is also prohibited across the forest; there are designated gravel car parks instead. Verge parking damages the grazing and blocks the sightlines that keep animals visible.
- Use the designated gravel car parks, never the verges
- Never feed ponies, donkeys or pigs, however friendly they seem
- Take extra care at dawn, dusk and on unlit lanes at night
- Watch for foals on the far side of the road from a mare
The drives and the villages
The Bolderwood and Rhinefield Ornamental Drives run through Victorian arboretum plantings of redwood and Douglas fir, and both are short, beautiful and easy to stop along. Bolderwood has a deer viewing platform where fallow deer are fed seasonally. Lyndhurst is the administrative capital and holds the Verderers Court. Brockenhurst has a ford that ponies stand in. Burley is smaller and busier than it should be. Beaulieu village, with its abbey ruins and Palace House, sits at the head of a tidal river.
The main attractions
Beaulieu combines a motor museum of national importance with the abbey ruins and the house, and it takes most of a day if you engage with all three. Buckler's Hard down the river is a preserved shipbuilding village of two brick terraces facing a slipway, and it is unexpectedly moving. Exbury Gardens on the Solent shore are at their peak in late April and May for rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias, with a steam railway running through them. Autumn colour there is the second high point of the year.
The coast and the wider day
Lymington is a working sailing town with a cobbled quay and a ferry to the Isle of Wight, and its Saturday market is one of the better ones on the south coast. Keyhaven and Hurst Spit look across to the island with Henry the Eighth's castle at the end of a shingle bank. Winchester lies half an hour north for anyone wanting a cathedral, and Salisbury is a similar distance north west. Either turns a forest morning into a fuller day.
Plan your chauffeur journey
London Chauffeurs provides itinerary-led private travel for airport transfers, executive travel, private aviation, events and long-distance UK journeys. Availability and pricing are confirmed for the requested itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
Why are New Forest speed limits so low?
Because the ponies, cattle and donkeys roam free across unfenced land and regularly step into the road. Limits across much of the forest are set low specifically to reduce collisions, and enforcement is active, particularly on the through routes.
When are the pigs out in the forest?
During the pannage season in autumn, when they are turned out to eat fallen acorns that would harm the ponies. The exact dates are set each year by the Verderers, so they shift, but the season generally runs through the middle of autumn.
What is the best time of year to visit?
Late spring for Exbury and the woodland, autumn for colour, pannage and the deer rut. Summer is busiest and the popular car parks fill. Winter is quiet and atmospheric, with the forest open and most outdoor attractions still accessible.
Can you park anywhere in the forest?
No. Verge parking is prohibited to protect the grazing and sightlines, and designated gravel car parks are provided instead. Being dropped and collected at a specific point is straightforward and avoids circling for a space at the popular drives.