May is a beautiful time of year to escape the smoke and head to the New Forest National Park; the foals arrive from the middle of May onwards and the famous Exbury Gardens are breath-taking and looking as good as the famous Augusta golf course in Georgia where the masters have just taken place.
In addition to the carpets of bluebells and daffodils to see at this time of year, Pennington Marshes, which feature regularly on the BBC’s Springwatch, is one of the places to go to watch migrating birds.
Birds rest on their way back to breeding grounds on the muddy shores of the marshes, and there is a wonderful walk through Lymington along the sea wall to a great 18th Century pub called the Gun Inn at Keyhaven (which incidentally stocks over 300 whiskies).
Cottage Lodge Hotel in the village of Brockenhurst in the heart of the village is one of the New Forest’s best-kept secrets and the ideal place for a spring break.
Family owned and run for 15 years, the boutique hotel has just 15 individually-designed bedrooms, many of which feature beautiful, hand-carved four-poster beds made from fallen New Forest trees, by local wood sculptor Rob Dyer.
While in the area, why not pop in on one of the many award-winning vineyards in Hampshire?
Cottage Lodge is perfectly located for forest walks direct from the front door and free guides are available, so you don’t get lost! What’s more, some of the rooms are dog friendly, so your four-legged friend can also enjoy a break to the UK’s smallest yet perfectly formed national park.
There are lots of good pubs and restaurants to discover in the village and Brockenhurst station has an excellent service to London taking just 89 minutes, so a car-free weekend is also a distinct possibility.
Should you wish to explore a little further afield, perhaps taking in the National Motor Museum and Palace at Beaulieu, or the aforementioned Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway, there is an excellent bike hire centre in the village (Cyclexperience) which also has electric bike options if you’re feeling lazy.
Mornings at Cottage Lodge start with the renowned New Forest Marque cooked breakfast, which is made using locally sourced ingredients, whilst the day might end with a fine-dining experience in the hotel’s White Tails Restaurant, owned and operated by head chef Martin Packard.
For the first three weeks of May, between Sundays and Thursdays, the price of a stay in a four-poster room has been reduced from £120 to £90 (two sharing) on a B&B basis.
Call 01590 622 296 or visit www.cottagelodge.co.uk. For more information of things to do in the New Forest visit www.thenewforest.co.uk.
