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Travel England - The New Forest National Park

By Dave Talbot

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Published: 27May2008
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If you every come to the South Of England on a vacation then you simply must not miss a trip to the New Forest National Park , The Newest national park in the UK and One of the Worlds Heritage national park sites.

The Idea for national parks first started in the United States and one of the first national park was Yosemite of course.

Since that time many other countries have adopted this way of protecting and preserving the unspoilt habitats of the world for future generations and for the preservation of endangered species as well.

The New Forest has a few endangered species itself but nothing like the American bald eagle that is now increasing in numbers due thankfully. The New Forests most wildly known species are of course the deer and the lovable little roguish New Forest Pony.

Centuries and centuries ago the New Forest was to all intents and purposes open land but then one of the kings on of the day decided to make it a royal forest only to be used for the royal pursuit of hunting, and local folk who had lived off the land for centuries found themselves unable to hunt the land for food to feed their family, penalties for contravening the law were severe and in later time fatal.

Fortunately over time sanity prevailed and today you will find many animals wandering the forest grazing as the local "commoners" exercise their right to graze their live stock on the common ground.

The New Forest is also home top some of the oldest woodland in England with an oak tree said to be over 400 years old, Not as grand and the giant redwoods although there are a few of those here as well.

A holiday in the New Forest opens up a wide diversity of activities for those on vacation here from simply going on one of the forest walks to mountain biking (only not too many mountains here so very suitable for younger children) and if you are a horse rider then you will be in seventh heaven as there are no riding restriction across the open country side.

If you are having a family holiday the Park has a number of really olde worlde New Forest cottages you can rent and if you have a penchant for the quaint then you will just love the old thatched roofs and if your lucky gardens that literally take you out into the forest from your back door.

If you prefer the outdoor lifestyle then the forest has a number of designated campsites with and without facilities so you can camp the easy way or the hard way , the choice is up to you.

One of the most popular areas of the New Forest has to be the picturesque Village of Beaulieu which is actually part of a massive 7000 acre estate (by UK standards) estate belonging to the Montagu family who's ancesters have owned the land and property since the early 1500 after the dissolution of the monastries by King Henry VIII.

Part of the estate is used for the National Motor Museum which must rank as one of the best museums of automotive history in the world with exhibits that span motoring history not only by age but also by achievement as a number of land speed record breakers are exhibited here.

There is also the Abbey to visit which whilst not to much to see these days still gives you an idea of the grandeur and power of the church in early british history.

The now Beaulieu Palace house itself was originally the gatehouse to the abbey here although it has been subsequently extended.

A holiday in this part of England isn't only restricted to the forest though as just a short drive away you have some of the best beaches in England all with blue flag designations for their cleanliness. They are even building the northern hemisphere's first artificial ref here as well for the local surfing community so if you like to surf you can try it out UK style.

Poole in the County of Dorset is not only famous for having one of the worlds largest harbours, but also for the number of famous people who live here, and one particular area has the most expensive house prices in the whole of England, still. That's what you must pay to rub shoulders with the Rich and Famous I guess.

All in all the South Coast of England makes for a fantastic UK family vacation

The New Forest National Park is one of the newest National Parks in the world but its beauty has been admired for centuries. To find out more about The New Forest or New Forest Accommodation visit the newforestguides.com website.

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