Pigs and ponies in the New Forest
New Hampshire in New England in the north-east of the USA is renowned for its autumn colours but there is somewhere much closer to home and which is equally spectacular at this time of year; the New Forest in Hampshire. It’s Old Hampshire in Old England.
Autumn is also the time of year that the annual ‘pannage’ takes place; pannage is a commoner’s right (traditional New Forest residents) to turn out pigs who provide an essential agricultural service by eating acorns which are poisonous to ponies and cattle – it is a wonderful example of nature taking care of itself.
The perfect place to stay to see this fascinating sight is multi-award-winning Cottage Lodge, a five star rated eco B&B located in Brockenhurst, in the heart of the forest.
Dating back to the 17th century, the property has been painstakingly renovated by owner ‘eco chic’ Christina Simons to now offer 15 individually-designed and furnished bedrooms, plus a snug ‘honesty’ bar and the recently opened ‘Fallen Tree’ restaurant which is fast gaining a reputation for great food at very reasonable prices.
Many of the bedrooms feature hand-made furniture, much of it carefully built by local tree surgeon and wood sculptor Rob Dyer who resides in the New Forest and has a workshop there.
In addition to three hand-made beds at Cottage Lodge, Dyer also made all the tables in the ‘Fallen Tree’ restaurant, from a very rare Black Poplar tree and, if the tables are placed in alignment, it is possible to make out the original shape of the tree trunk.
Cottage Lodge has won numerous awards for its eco credentials; solar panels are located on the roof to produce hot water in the summer (during the winter, water is kept warm via the wood burning stove), low-flow loos and showers reduce water usage and materials including Marmoleum (jute) and bamboo have been used for their green properties.
Rooms have LED lighting and low-energy light bulbs, eco paints and low impact building materials have been used throughout and one room even has a bike to power the TV!
In keeping with this eco focus, Cottage Lodge recently acquired an electric ‘Twizy’ vehicle, which guests can rent to glide around the forest without harming the environment or frightening the wildlife.
Cottage Lodge is currently offering midweek (Sunday-Thursday) stays for £120 pp (B&B, two sharing) for the month of November, including a free 30-minute ride in a Twizy electric vehicle.
For more information, visit cottagelodge.co.uk.
