New Forest Northern Commons

A blooming landscape of heathland restoration, open for special events which help people connect to nature. Foxbury is our groundbreaking heathland restoration project: a 150 hectare site of dry and wet heathland, ponds and woodland, already colonised by many rare heathland wildlife specialists.

Fantastic examples of upland dry heathland, leading through gentle valley systems to rich mires and bogs. These Commons are steeped in history, with ornamental plantations and wartime structures still forming part of the landscape.

A national stronghold for the rare small fleabane flowering plant. Small woodlands dotted amongst open bogs and wetlands characterise this Common, best viewed from atop Stagbury Hill, a bronze age burial mound.

A site of lowland heathland, great for butterflies and ground-nesting bird populations, leading to one of the best examples of a heathland valley mire system in Britain.

A small pocket of lowland heathland on the edge of the New Forest boasting stunning views to the south.

Discover a wealth of wildlife and picture-perfect views with a spring walk in our New Forest Commons. We've got three very different downloadable trails for you to try, drawing you into some of the Forest's fascinating history, and magnificent ancient landscapes.

We’re working with Keep Britain Tidy to run the Great British Spring Clean across our New Forest Northern Commons on Saturday 30 March. Litter picks help improve wildlife habitats and ensures our commons are ready for the thousands of people that visit this unique national park every year.

Join us for a great family day out with a Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt at Foxbury, Sunday 21 and Monday 22 April, 11am - 4pm. Learn all about the ground nesting birds that live here in the New Forest, and how you can help protect them.

Visit our Foxbury page to find out about our events, from Forest School to guided walks. With miles of wide, all-weather gravel tracks, Foxbury is a great way to experience the outdoors and connect with nature. Open for events only.

In spring, our New Forest heaths are filled with bird song as the nesting season gets underway. Look out for the little Dartford warbler as it flits between clumps of scented yellow gorse. If you're lucky you may catch that evocative sound of spring - the cuckoo.

Lowland heathland is an internationally rare habitat, for which the New Forest is one of the main strongholds in Britain. This varied landscape provides habitat for a vast array of rare and diverse wildlife, including an array of birds, reptiles, insects and plants.

Learn about the all important but often unnoticed day to day work we do throughout the year that maintains this land for everyone to enjoy.

Our team have an important role caring for our varied New Forest habitats.

The New Forest has a history stretching back over a thousand years, and has traditions which are still going strong to this day.

Find out about the tradition of commoning in the New Forest