Deb Bridges, with her dog, Ula, by her side, heads off to trek the New Forest in the company of the ever-present ponies
Balmer Lawn Hotel & Spa
Apart from being the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, autumn isa good time for a last getaway before the winter months set in. With this in mind, my dog, Ula, and I packed our bags towards the end of September for a short stay in the New Forest. It’s an area we hadn’t visited before so, even if the weather wasn’t up to much, it would at least be an interesting change of scene.From our home in Devon, a drive of around three hours saw us turning off the A31, to find ourselves plunged almost immediately into a vast expanse of open countryside, with the added bonus of ponies, ponies and more ponies! As an avid walker, it was hard to keep eyes front, with tantalising glimpses of footpaths leading off in all directions. Pootling along the long, straight roads, I also noticed plenty of well-marked parking areas and I later discovered, to my surprise, there are over 100 such parking places in the forest which are free of charge. Our destination, Balmer Lawn Hotel, is situated just outside Brockenhurst, which is the largest village, by population, in the New Forest. Arriving in Brockenhurst around lunchtime, I opted for a quick coffee and toasted teacake at The Buttery, before setting off on a six-mile circular walk, starting from the pay and display car park. Leaving the village, we passed the Watersplash, a ford where the ponies, cattle and donkeys who wander freely around the village often pause to drink. The route gave us a good flavour of the area, taking in Bolderford Bridge, before following a series of woodland tracks and riverside paths back to the village. By then, it was late afternoon and time to make our way to Balmer Lawn, a five-minute drive from the centre of Brockenhurst. The hotel dates back to the mid 19th century and my first impression was of a rather grand building, standing four-square in a lovely corner of the New Forest countryside.
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