Tucked away in the New Forest is a gorgeous village straight from a fairytale where wildlife wanders free, and horses pop their heads in the door of local cafes where locals sip lattes. Brockenhurst in Hampshire is in fact the largest village by population in the New Forest and there’s plenty to keep you occupied – including one of the UK’s best hotels. According to The Times, New Park Manor is the best family-friendly hotel in the UK. A recent review by the Times said the hotel is perfect for parents and kids.
“The little ones will love it for its indoor and outdoor pools, superb playground and bedtime cookies, but its parents, feeling renewed from a stint in the extensive spa, who will be hardest to shut up about this one — need we say more than ‘two hours of free daily childcare’?,” the publication stated.
The Manor is Charles II’s favourite hunting lodge and according to the Times is a “magnet” for exhausted parents.
Brockenhurst is also home to ponies, donkeys, cows and pigs that all roam free throughout the town but for a more structured wildlife encounter why not try your hand at some horse riding?
The nearby Brockenhurst Riding Stables or Ford Farm Stables both offer horse riding experiences for kids and adults alike that take you through the stunning New Forest and show you all the amazing woodland creatures that call it home.
If you’d rather take it easy, why not wander the high street and explore Brockenhurst’s independent shops, perfect for taking home memories of your trip. There’s also two gorgeous churches to explore – one of which is old enough to have been mentioned in the Doomsday Book.
The Church of St Nicholas is the oldest church in the New Forest and as well as being a stunning piece of preserved history, it also houses a small exhibition which commemorates the ‘Tin Town’ hospital of WWI.
When the war broke out, Brockenhurst was selected as the location for one of the vast temporary military hospitals which were established to treat injured service personnel. Nicknamed ‘Tin Town’ by locals, the collection of tented and galvanised hospital units were used in 1915 to treat soldiers from the Indian Army Corps.
The church cemetary houses the graves of more than a hundred New Zealand, Indian and other soldiers who died in the field hospitals at Brockenhurst during and after the first World War.
By order of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission the original white wooden crosses were replaced in 1924 by engraved head-stones, and the impressive memorial cross was erected in 1927. An annual ANZAC memorial service is held here on the fourth Sunday in April, attended by a representative of the New Zealand High Commission and of the New Zealand Forces.