Foals and Flowers in the New Forest

Though very much a four season destination, May, in the springtime is the month when the New Forest dramatically bursts into life; carpets of wild flowers appear across the woods and open spaces (there are more than 700 species of wild flowers in the forest) and heralds the arrival of dozens of newly born foals who can be seen taking their first, unsteady steps, within minutes of taking their first breath.

Although they seemingly wander around as if wild, the ponies are all owned by private individuals known as ‘commoners’ and once a year a huge audit known as ‘the drift’ takes place to ‘health check’ and mark the animals. They do this as part of an ancient New Forest right which has been passed down through the centuries.

Exbury, near Beaulieu, is one of the New Forest’s biggest attractions, thanks to the stunning gardens which were the inspiration of Lionel Nathan de Rothschild who was a keen collector of plants, particularly rhododendrons and azaleas.

He was also a highly successful hybridizer of many different species and Exbury is still filled with his creations. Over the years, succeeding generations of Rothschild’s have continued to develop the gardens to this day.

The perfect place to stay to explore the forest in springtime is Cottage Lodge, a multi-award-winning, eco, boutique hotel, located in the village of Brockenhurst.

The privately-owned-and-run property has just 15 individually designed bedrooms – including six with four poster beds – and much of the furniture has been hand made from ‘fallen’ New Forest trees by a local wood sculptor, Rob Dyer.

Continuing with the theme of hand-made furniture, Cottage Lodge is also home to the Fallen Tree restaurant, the tables for which were also made by Rob from a very rare black poplar tree.

Cottage Lodge has won numerous awards for its eco credentials; solar panels are located on the roof to produce hot water in the summer (in the winter months, 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.

A two night, midweek break in late May costs from £80 pp (two sharing a room) including the renowned Cottage Lodge New Forest Marque breakfast made with locally sourced ingredients.

To book, visit cottagelodge.co.uk.