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Slow New Forest is part of the Bradt Travel Guides that embraces the Slow Tourism movement, and encourages visitors to slow down and discover for themselves the often hidden and unsung delights of one of the most unspoiled and varied of English counties. The New Forest, where horses and cows regularly force traffic to stop and donkeys stop to peer in shop windows in some villages, is ideally suited to a "Slow" guide. The forest landscape is extremely varied, from the towering trees that line the Boldre wood and Rhine field Ornamental Drives; to the dense forest and miles of open moors stretching between Burley and Brocken hurst.
The coastal roads by Buckler's Hard and the little-known East End have a completely different character, just a few miles from the heart of the forest. The villages of the New Forest have distinct characters: Lymington, the market town with a yachting flavour; Brocken hurst and Beaulieu, where animals regularly parade on the high streets; Burley, with its unusual link to witchcraft and Fording bridge, a charming small town on the banks of the Avon. Author, Emily Baker outlines the workings of the New Forest, how agisters maintain it and verderers look after commoners' grazing rights. Interviews with local saddlers, thatchers, organic butchers and farm shops bring Slow New Forest to life. It explores a wide range of activities including walking, horse-riding and cycling, sailing and kayaking, as well as its diverse accommodation and food options, from farm stays to luxury hotels, farmers' markets to gourmet pubs. Each chapter covers a different locale and features the author's personal selection. The New Forest is highly accessible to overseas visitors just a couple of hours from London by train, bus or car.
Contents
Going Slow in the New Forest v The Slow mindset v, The New Forest National Park vii, A New Forest miscellany ix, How this book is arranged xxii, Getting around xxiii
1. The north and west 1 Accommodation 2, North Forest: the Northern Commons, Fritham and Fordingbridge 4, North and west borders: weaving in and out of the New Forest 28
2. The southwest Brockenhurst and the Lymington coast 41 Accommodation 42, Ringwood and Burley 45, Brockenhurst and around 56, Lymington and its coast 75 3. Lyndhurst, Beaulieu and the east 91 Accommodation 93, Lyndhurst and surrounding areas 95, Beaulieu Estate, Buckler's Hard and East End 111, Southampton Coast: Exbury, Lepe and Eling 136
Index 149
Emily Laurence Baker has written guides and travel articles on numerous destinations for more than 20 years. She divides her time between London and the New Forest.
