Cycling around the New Forest - from Brockenhurst to Beaulieu

We woke up on Sunday morning to grey skies and drizzly rain. Considering our plan for the day was hiring Bicycles and exploring the New Forest by bike, this was not a great start.

We had a huge breakfast of granola and yoghurt, plus blueberry pancakes, and headed out into the rain. While it was only raining lightly, it was a steady rainfall that didn't seem to be stopping as we got closer to the bike rental.

We had a moment of 'Should We' Shouldn't We' and decided to continue with our plan and hope the rain stopped soon. Luckily we chose right and just as we hopped on our bikes the rain cleared up.

Having only had one rather disastrous experience three years previously in San Francisco, I was understandably a bit nervous about trying cycling again. It took me a good 10 minutes to remember how to ride a bike before we were off and cycling down the road towards Beaulieu (pronounced Bew-lee).

Luckily the roads around the New Forest are quite quiet, and full of drivers who are used to driving slowly for fear of a pony running into the road, but it was still a bit scary riding on the road for the first time with cars. 

Our plan was to bike from Brockenhurst to Beaulieu, bus to Lyndhurst and bike from Lyndhurst back to Brockenhurst, all in time to return our bikes for 5.00 p.m.

The cycle route was mostly off road, along cycle paths through the forest, with only a few sections along roads. So for first time bikers, or for people who haven't biked for a while, cycling around the New Forest is a great way to explore without getting too far out of your comfort zone!

Having to concentrate on cycling, it took a while before I could appreciate the beautiful surroundings, but once I got the hang of it again, I think cycling is probably the best way to explore the New Forest. You can see so much more in a day than walking, and also see more of the forest than if you were in a car.

For much of the route, we didn't see a single other person until we got out of the forest and onto the roads.

Every so often we'd hear a whinny and be surprised by a pony coming out of the forest and across the path, the ponies don't like to be crowded and will let you know rather loudly if you're in their way!

We came out of the forest and stopped at Hatchet Pond for a break. Hatchet Pond is the largest body of water in the New Forest, it's a good place for a rest or a picnic and has lots of opportunities to watch the local wildlife, we saw lots of ponies and ducks in the short time we were there.

Getting back on our bikes, we continued riding to our next stop, The Turfcutters Arms pub, where we were going to stop for lunch before continuing to Beaulieu.

The pub is located down a quiet road in East Boldre, and is a stop for many cyclists, with a big garden out the back. The manager is from New Zealand, having lived in the UK for many years, and we also spoke to another Kiwi living nearby. You just can't get away from New Zealander's no matter where you go!

We refuelled with some delicious chilli and a burger and chips, washed down with some more cider. It was only afterwards we thought that perhaps the cider may not have been a good idea whilst cycling, but we didn't seem to have any trouble!

After lunch we continued on our way to Beaulieu, and arrived there mid afternoon. We locked our bikes up against a railing, and explored the town on foot, relieved to be off our bikes for a while.

Beaulieu is only a tiny town, mostly just one street with lots of red bricked houses, but it is famous for its Motor Museum, and we saw plenty of motor enthusiasts in old fashioned cars heading to the museum.

We also got to see first hand why you are asked to keep your distance from the New Forest wildlife. The donkeys in Beaulieu were SO naughty, walking right up to people and nudging them for food and trying to get into their bags!

We explored the grounds of Beaulieu Abbey, mostly destroyed during Henry VIII's reign, however what is left is still beautiful and is lovely to explore.

We stopped for an ice cream, and watched as donkeys held up traffic whilst they slowly meandered down the streets, not in any hurry.

We hopped onto the New Forest Open Top bus with our bikes and headed off to Lyndhurst. We had hoped to have time to explore the town a bit, but it was already almost 4.30 p.m., we had half an hour to cycle back to Brockenhurst!

Realising we were never going to make it back by 5.00 p.m., we phoned the Cycle company who said we could keep the bikes overnight of we brought them back by 9.30 a.m. the next morning, without having to pay any extra.

With some extra time on our hands now we didn't have to race home, we decided to take the long way back to Brockenhurst, along Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, a narrow road lined with lots of tall Redwood trees and Douglas Firs.

By this time we were both pretty exhausted, but the scenery was beautiful and we were glad we decided to take the extra time to go the long way home.

It was here that I had my first and only accident of the day! While cycling over a cattle grid, my wheel turned slightly sideways making me fall into the fence. Luckily I wasn't hurt, just a scraped wrist and a feeling of embarrassment, but we both agreed we should stop and have a rest before we continued.

We stopped outside Rhinefield House for 15 minutes, and you can see how exhausted I look! Perhaps we were a bit too ambitious with our cycling plans, we ended up cycling about 17 miles, which is about 27 kilometres, in one day!

We eventually arrived home at about 6.30 p.m. and hopped straight in the shower. Too exhausted to think about dinner, and having left it too late, apparently 8.00 p.m. is the time the kitchen's close in a small town! We grabbed some fish and chips and brought them back to the B&B, where the owner kindly gave us some plates and cutlery so we could have a civilised meal in the dining room.

After dinner we headed back to our room, and each had a long hot bath before collapsing into bed. We had an amazing day of exploring, but we were exhausted!