Idyllic woodland, lovely towns, pretty villages and bordered by 43 miles of coastline, regular conributor PETER McGREGOR EADIE visits the New Forest...

THE capital of the New Forest is Lyndhurst whose Information Centre, with its museum devoted to the history of the New Forest from the time of William the Conqueror to the present day is a good place from which to plan a holiday visit. Here the visitor will find a cartload of brochures on a multiple list of activities as well as an up to date book on the special events taking place in the Jubilee year.

The region is an idyllic woodland with lovely towns and villages bordered by 43 miles of coastline. It is only 90 minutes by train from Waterloo Station, in London.

Among the many other jewels I decided to visit was Exbury, which is dominated by the world famous gardens created by Lionel de Rothschild nearly 100 years ago. This spectacular 200 acre woodland abounds with azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias in early Spring the finest you will ever see. A miniature train on the Rhododendron Line puffs its way round this beautiful venue from now until early November, a joy to children and adults alike.

Nicholas de Rothschild the present owner has dropped entrance charges this year for all under sixteen because of the current tough economic conditions. This should enable more families to enjoy the peaceful walks along the bank of the Beaulieu River.

For those who like walking, there are superb cliff paths stretching from Milford-on-Sea, which overlooks the Solent and across to the Needles on the Isle of Wight, and it is easy to park in the nearby local car park.

Driving around the New Forest is limited mainly to 40 mph because the wandering ponies and donkeys, like the sacred cows in India, have right of way.

To read the rest of Peter McGregor Eadie's feature on his trip to the New Forest and see all the pictures, pick up a copy of Northern Ireland Travel News...

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