48 Hours In… The New Forest

Experience wonderful woodland walks, cosy pubs and animal antics – this stunning region offers an enchanting countryside escape in all seasons

- Gabrielle Albert

With its dense and ancient woodland, open heaths and picturesque coastline, the New Forest National Park is a great year-round destination.

Right now, its landscape is ablaze with vibrant yellows, bright oranges, rich reds and glorious golds, making it the perfect setting for a relaxing walk. The 1½ mile Tall Trees Trail near Lyndhurst is the best place to enjoy this seasonal spectacle with a variety of oak, sweet chestnut, Japanese cedar and redwoods to see.

The forest is well known for its semi-wild ponies and it won’t be long before you cross paths with one of the 5,000 which wander freely here. If you’re lucky, you might spot deer grazing among the bracken, or some of the 600 pigs that forage the forest floors in the annual pannage – a medieval pasturing tradition.

Come the winter months, the national park is transformed into a magical landscape of glistening trees and frozen lakes and streams which are studded with glittering icicles. Ramblers can enjoy almost total solitude under clear blue skies