After a lovely lie in and a huge breakfast of pancakes, maple syrup and bacon (is there anything better?!) we checked out of the hotel and headed in to the forest to explore.
We started out by heading to Bolderwood to see the deer.
We decided, after analysing the information boards, that these were Sika deer…not 100% on that though as we are not deer experts! I think most of the deer were sheltering from the heat but these ones looked content enough.
From there we sauntered in to the forest not really knowing where we were going with Jon singing teddy bear’s picnic in a sinister tone to freak me out but the scenery was beautiful so we sauntered on.
There was no one around but we did stumble upon these fellows/ladies:
Jon kept trying to make me go closer but one of them kept giving me a funny look so I kept my distance like a good New Forest explorer.
We wandered around for an hour or so before heading back to the car and driving down to the coast. We stopped to take a break in a scenic spot. I jumped out to take some pictures of a horse and her foal…
I failed to realise that I had left our car doors open with our picnic bag on the front seat. All of a sudden what felt like every pony in the New Forest were heading towards our car. Jon heroically stepped in and saved the day – I think he may be a secret horse whisperer!
Horse crisis averted we made our way south via Beaulieu. As the name would suggest this small village is stunning:
In a hop skip and a jump we made it to Lepe Country Park, which sounds like it should be acres of rolling hills but is in actual fact a seaside park with stunning views!:
We also found some World War Two remains. According to a very informative sign Lepe Country Park played a crucial role in the D Day landings. The beach was used as a departure point for people, supplies and vehicles, for the construction of the Mulberry Harbour and as the mainland base for the P.L.U.T.O pipeline.
The pier which troops left from can still be seen today (and the chocolate bar style blocks that stabilised the beach for vehicles)…:
…before we headed to the beautiful gardens of the Montagu Arms Hotel to watch Andy Murray win Wimbledon.
A weekend to remember! À bientôt New Forest!
We started out by heading to Bolderwood to see the deer.
We decided, after analysing the information boards, that these were Sika deer…not 100% on that though as we are not deer experts! I think most of the deer were sheltering from the heat but these ones looked content enough.
From there we sauntered in to the forest not really knowing where we were going with Jon singing teddy bear’s picnic in a sinister tone to freak me out but the scenery was beautiful so we sauntered on.
There was no one around but we did stumble upon these fellows/ladies:
Jon kept trying to make me go closer but one of them kept giving me a funny look so I kept my distance like a good New Forest explorer.
We wandered around for an hour or so before heading back to the car and driving down to the coast. We stopped to take a break in a scenic spot. I jumped out to take some pictures of a horse and her foal…
I failed to realise that I had left our car doors open with our picnic bag on the front seat. All of a sudden what felt like every pony in the New Forest were heading towards our car. Jon heroically stepped in and saved the day – I think he may be a secret horse whisperer!
We waited it out for quite a while before they got bored and trotted off.
We found the one tiny village shop that sold New Forest ice cream and perched by the lake to eat it.
I’ve got to say, New Forest ice cream is a cut above the rest. I went for blueberry ripple and Jon went for raspberry and meringue. Nothing makes it feel like summer more than ice cream in a cone!
We wandered past the hordes of tourists turning a traditional British lobster pink, along the shingle beach to a beautiful spot to watch the passing sailing boats and sea kayaks.
The pier which troops left from can still be seen today (and the chocolate bar style blocks that stabilised the beach for vehicles)…:
I took my chance to
say a fond farewell to the seaside…
…before we headed to the beautiful gardens of the Montagu Arms Hotel to watch Andy Murray win Wimbledon.
A weekend to remember! À bientôt New Forest!
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