Camping in The New Forest - A Travel Guide

I recently got back from a camping trip with my partner in the New Forest. This was my second trip in as many months to the same place as I absolutely fell in love when I went for the first time back in August with friends.

Here I will guide you through the place I stayed, prices I paid & things to do & see whilst in the New Forest, Hampshire, UK.

Where to stay:

We stayed at Roundhill Campsite, New Forest UK. We chose this campsite due to it's facilities (hot water, toilets, tents welcome, drinking water etc.). It's also dog friendly which is a bonus for many. It is worth mentioning that the wildlife in the New Forest such as the ponies & cows have free reign to come & go as they please, so dogs need to be extremely well behaved around these types of animals or kept on their lead.

The phone signal in the campsite was poor. Depending on how you look at this it could be a blessing or a curse. I personally saw it as a chance to take a much needed break away from social media & the constant bombardment of messages we all receive daily. The downside is not being able to search for things to do or download maps to get you around so some forward planning on this front is recommended. Saying this, a short drive down the road from the campsite the signal starts to kick in well again so you're never too far from a spot with more reliable internet if you really can't go a few days without it.

The campsite itself is large, meaning even when it is busy it is still fairly easy to maintain some privacy. There are no set plots, you just choose freely where you wish to camp. During my first visit the toilet facilities were maintained to a high standard of cleanliness. The second time however, they weren't so much. Missing loo roll & dirty floors & basins were the main complaints + half the toilet blocks weren't open even on the busier weekend days. This wasn't enough for me not to want to stay there again but something to keep in mind.

The wildlife at the campsite is definitely the highlight - horses & cows roam freely & are likely to be the animals you will see the most of but we were also blessed enough to see swallows dipping & diving, bats hunting as the sun set & we even heard owls as we drifted off to sleep each night. There is also an abundance of flora & fungi throughout the campsite & surrounding forest & although you are not allowed to forage, spotting all the different varieties of mushrooms & plants was a delight each day.

If you fancy a cold treat on a hot day, ice-creams are available to buy from the reception desk at the campsite. Grocery stores such as Lidl are around a 25 minute drive from the campsite for all other food & beverage needs. There is also a handy hardware store called Streets which sells lots of camping essentials, found a 20 minute drive away in Lyndhurst. Super useful when you run out of gas for your camping stove like we did!

When we stayed in August with seven people, three cars & a dog (dogs go free) we paid £120 between us, including two people as guests. The first car was included in the pitch with the tent, however the other two cars were £15 each, which we felt was a little on the steep side.

When just my partner & I went in late September we paid £39 for three nights with no extra cost for the car.

Things to do/ see:

My favourite walk from my two visits to the New Forest so far is easily at Blackwater arboretum & tall trees trail. This walk journeys you through several different landscapes, starting with giant trees & luscious green ferns, through a magical woodland where a stream flows freely & dogs play in the water into an open field scattered with purple heather & horses. The perfect day trip to walk or cycle through nature, perhaps packing a picnic to stop & enjoy along the way. This walk is around a 15-20 minute drive from Roundhill campsite.

Another beautiful woodland walk worth mentioning is at Wilverley Inclosure, again around a 20 minute car ride from Roundhill. This walk takes you through ancient woodland & is the perfect place to spot ponies & deer amoungst all the other wonderful flora & fauna. We were blessed enough to see a mother & her baby grazing on this walk.

As you head out of the campsite on foot, a few minutes down the road there is a left you can take to a looped walk which takes around two hours to complete. This is ideal if you're on foot or just want to stay a little closer to the campsite.

It's worth mentioning here that the New Forest is a great area for cycling - This isn't something we personally did but every day we saw a huge amount of cyclists exploring all the New Forest has to offer on two wheels. You can either bring your own or use one of the many bike hire venues to rent one for the duration of your trip.

If you prefer to go by car, all the day trip sites mentioned here, at time of writing, had free parking available for visitors. + if you don't have a car & want to arrive by train, Lyndhurst train station is only a 20 minute drive from Roundhill campsite also.

Beaches near Lymington:

Coming from Brighton, Milford on Sea beach was a little taste of home from home. We parked up on the road (free parking once again) & despite it being a cloudy day, we enjoyed a long walk along the cliff top where we stopped to have a picnic before heading down onto the beach itself, where we paddled our feet in the ocean & lapped up the sound of the waves.

Again this only took around 25 minutes in the car to travel to from the campsite & although we took a picnic there were several pubs & restaurants at the start of the walk on the cliff top where you could stop for refreshments at the start or end of your walk.

If you're looking for a break away for the hustle & bustle of life, immersed in nature & away from technology a trip to the New Forest is the place for you. Ideal for couples, families, groups of friends or even a solo trip for a spot of soul healing, this type of mini break is the perfect way to connect back to yourself, your loved ones & Mother Earth, all at once. With plenty of choices in campsites, modes of transport & daytime activities this is a fun & relatively affordable getaway with something for everyone.

Having fallen in love with the New Forest completely this year, I will almost definitely be returning again to have a look at what more this special place has got to offer. Have you ever been to the New Forest? What are your favourite spots to explore? Please share in the comments section so we can spread the love & information, so that more people can enjoy this wonderful land.