New Forest Northern Commons

New Forest ponies drink at Dockens Water in the New Forest, Hampshire

Important notice -

Our New Forest Northern Common car parks (apart from Foxbury) are now open. We have limited spaces, so if the car park is full please come back another time. Foxbury remains closed until further notice.

A colourful mosaic of blooming heather and gorse, braided wetlands and ancient woodland pasture

More about this place

Family walking in the woodland at Castle Ward, County Down

Which places are open and what you need to know before you visit 

More than 100 gardens and parks and hundreds of coast and countryside places are open in England and Northern Ireland. Following the latest government guidance, all houses in England and Northern Ireland are closed. We're reopening our places in Wales from Monday 9 November for visitors who live in Wales in line with Welsh government guidelines following the firebreak lockdown. To avoid disappointment please book in advance, especially at weekends and school holidays. Please check the property webpage of the place you wish to visit before you travel. Find out how to book and what to expect from your visit.

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New Forest Northern Commons

Things to see and do

Rockford and Ibsley commons in winter

Winter walks in the New Forest 

Escape to the wild open spaces of the New Forest this winter, for an invigorating walking experience. 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.

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New Forest Northern Commons

Our work

Panoramic shot of New Forest lowland heath in winter frost with scots pine

Protecting rare New Forest lowland heaths 

Our very rare, but wildlife-rich New Forest heaths are not a natural phenomenon. In fact, if we didn’t manage them they’d soon become woodland. Find out how we protect this ancient and wild landscape in winter.

A ranger carrying out vital conservation work in the New Forest, Hampshire

See what we've been getting up to 

Our rangers in south west Hampshire look after over 5,000 acres of countryside across the New Forest, Mottisfont estate, Stockbridge Down and Curbridge Nature Reserve. Take a look at our latest newsletter to see how we’ve been caring for these special places, and find out more about the work we do throughout the year that maintains this land for everyone to enjoy.

Volunteers planting trees at Foxbury, New Forest, Hampshire

We've planted thousands of trees 

We've planted 26 hectares - that’s 18,000 trees - of native broad-leafed woodland in Foxbury, in the heart of the New Forest. This is our biggest heathland restoration project in England, and the trees will support thousands of wildlife species.

Horses grazing on the heathland in the New Forest

Why we cut down some trees in the New Forest 

The cutting of trees by the team at this time of the year can appear very destructive, but these extremely important management practices are undertaken to protect the rare heathland for years to come.

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New Forest Northern Commons

History

Horses galloping across Foxbury in the New Forest, Hampshire

The history of the New Forest 

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

Gorse and cattle in Foxbury in the New Forest, Hampshire

The tradition of commoning in the New Forest 

Find out about the tradition of commoning in the New Forest

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