Lyndhurst and the New Forest
Lyndhurst, right in the middle of the New Forest
Walks from the edge of the village, ponies on the verges, proper tea rooms, forest pubs and more than nine hundred years of history. Here is everything you need to plan a visit.
Welcome to Lyndhurst
A village with the forest on its doorstep
Lyndhurst sits in the middle of the New Forest National Park, and you notice it within minutes of arriving. Ponies graze the verges by Bolton’s Bench, cattle stand in the shade at the edge of the village, and the spire of St Michael and All Angels rises above the rooftops on its small hill. Walk ten minutes in almost any direction and you are on open heath or among old trees.
The village has been the forest’s working centre for centuries. The Queen’s House on the High Street is home to the Verderers’ Court, which still meets in public to deal with commoning and the forest’s ancient rules, and to Forestry England’s local office. The New Forest Heritage Centre, next to the main car park, is the best first stop if you want to understand how the forest works and why it looks the way it does.
The High Street is short and busy, lined with independent shops, tea rooms and pubs. Traffic runs round a one-way loop, which makes it easy to circle twice hunting for a space. Our advice is to park once, in the main car park, and do everything else on foot.
This guide covers the things people actually want to know before they come. Which walks turn to mud in February. Where you can take the dog for lunch. Whether there are toilets by the car park and what the buses do on a Sunday. When the pigs come out for pannage, and why you should never give a pony an apple, however hard it stares at you. We check the details, link to the official sources and update pages when things change.
Only here for a day? Start with our one-day plan. Staying longer? The walks, history pages and seasonal guides will keep you busy for a week.
Right now in the forest
October in the New Forest
Pigs under the oaks, deer bellowing at dusk and the forest turning gold.
- Pannage pigsCommoners' pigs are out hoovering up acorns, which are poisonous to ponies.
- The deer rutFallow bucks groan and clash at dusk. Keep well back and keep dogs on leads.
- Autumn colourBeech woods at Bolderwood and Mark Ash glow copper late in the month.
Walks from Lyndhurst
All walksGravel tracks through Victorian plantations, ancient beech at Mark Ash, giant redwoods on the Rhinefield drive and wide heaths where you can see for miles. Every walk comes with honest notes on mud, distance, parking and dogs.
Coming up
What's on in and around Lyndhurst
Christmas lights, pony sales, the New Forest Show and village events, with dates checked against the organisers. Where a date has not been announced yet, we say so.
Full events calendarNothing listed for the coming weeks yet. Get the weekly email and we will tell you as soon as dates are announced.
Where to eat and drink
All cafés, pubs and restaurantsCream teas on the High Street, Sunday roasts by a log fire, and forest pubs a few minutes' drive away. Start with these, or search the whole directory.
We are still adding places to this part of the directory. Know somewhere we should include? Tell us about it.
Stories from the forest
Lyndhurst historyLyndhurst has more history than its size suggests. The woman who inspired Alice in Wonderland is buried in the churchyard, a king was killed by an arrow a few miles up the road, and the Verderers have been settling forest business here for centuries.
Know before you go
The New Forest CodeLeave the ponies alone
They look tame, but they are semi-wild animals owned by commoners. Feeding them teaches them to mob people and cars, and the wrong food can make them seriously ill.
Park once
The main car park by the Heritage Centre is the easiest place to leave the car. Please do not park on the verges: it wrecks the forest edge.
Animals have right of way
Forest roads are unfenced with a 40mph limit. Ponies, cattle and donkeys step out without warning, especially after dark.
Mind the nesting birds
From 1 March to 31 July, stick to the main tracks on the heaths and keep dogs close so curlews and other rare birds can raise their young.
Everything on one map
Open the full mapWalk start points, car parks, toilets, tea rooms, pubs and places to stay. Tap a pin for the details and directions.