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The "New Forest - Where to Stay Guide" published by the New Forest District Council provides all the information you are likely to require on accomodation of all types in the Forest.
The principal official tourism web-site is the New Forest District Council tourist information site
. All telephone enquiries should be made to the New Forest Visitor Information Centre (VIC) at Lymington on 01590 689000; the fax number is 01590 689090. (See the note below to dial to UK from abroad.)
All written enquiries should be sent to: Lymington VIC, New Street, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 9BH, UK. Other VICs are at Lyndhurst (023 8028 2269) and Ringwood (01425 470896). There is also a seasonal VIC at Fordingbridge.
Explore the New Forest and the New Forest Accomodation Directory have good collections of accomodation contact details and other information for tourists to the Forest and local region. New Forest On Line also has tourist information, and for those who like to ride ponies, there are pages on riding stables and other things equestrian.
Trains stop at Ashurst, Beaulieu Road (very isolated!), Brockenhurst and Sway within the Forest (these stations are on the same railway line) - National Rail Enquiries are on 08457 484950 (+44(0)20 7278 5240 from abroad), and their web site with timetables for the UK network is http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/.
Local bus services are provided by Wilts&Dorset (Salisbury: 01722 336855; Poole: 01202 673555; Lymington - office hours only: 01590 672382), Solent Blue Line (023 8061 8233); Yellow Buses [Bournemouth] (01202 636000). National buses are National Express (08705 808080).
Holly holms or "hats" are roughly circular stands of
holly in the Forest. Most of the elderly holly trees
in stands have been pollarded repeatedly. Some of the
holly in the Forest dates from the 17th century.
Camping in the New Forest: Camping is prohibited within the perambulation (legal boundary - i.e. within the cattle-grids) of the New Forest except at authorised Forestry Commission sites and a small number of private sites. The Forestry Commission does have a number of excellent sites in beautiful locations; the sites range from "natural" sites with no facilities to large fully equipped sites.
The Commission has a centralised information and advance booking centre (but you can still try your luck and just turn up - not advised on Bank Holidays!). The central address is: Forest Holidays, Heart of the National Forest, Bath Yard, Moira, Derbyshire, DE12 6BD, UK. The telephone number of the office is 0845 130 8223 (cabins), 0845 130 8224 (campsites). Their email address is contact@forestholidays.co.uk and web-site is Forest Holidays. You can order a brochure from the web-site, and check camping site availability. Incidentally, the FC sites in the Forest do not have shops - it is local policy for campers to use the shops in the villages to support the local economy.
For privately-owned sites, please phone the VICs, visit the Council web-site or order the "New Forest - Where to Stay" guide....but if you need a quick list of those within the Forest or within walking distance of the boundary:
- Red Shoot Camping Park, Linwood, Ringwood (01425 473789);
- Sandy Balls Holiday Centre, Godshill, Fordingbridge (01425 653042);
- Harrow Wood Farm, Bransgore (01425 672487);
- Acres Down Farm, Minstead (02380 813693).
There are many others just a little further away. To telephone UK from abroad, the country code is +44 and do not dial the zero (0) at the beginning of the phone numbers above.