Cycling holidays for families New Forest
Cycling for Families
Fun New Forest times for families
With plenty of space to store your own bikes and a nearby cycle hire shop if required, our hotel is perfectly placed in the lovely village of Brockenhurst. Our village has a lovely selection of traditional shops and eateries, all surrounded by the timeless forest. It is a most beautiful place to enjoy easy cycling holidays in the New Forest and relaxing time away from the stresses of everyday life. Why not hire a tandem and other fun bikes from Cyclexperience for a new experience or access the forest in a unique inclusive way with accessible cycling from Pedall.
Arrive – Park – Ride
Just leave the car in your reserved parking space on our forecourt, or come by train. Either way you can leave the cars behind for the duration of your stay.
From our hotel it is just 300 yards to the cycling trails. Once you set off you will find yourself cycling through forest and open moorlands. You can spot New Forest ponies and their new foals, see the beautiful wild flowers, watch out for rare birds like the Dartford Warbler, keep your eyes peeled for herds of deer and cycle through peaceful, safe, beautiful, flat (ok there are a couple of gentle hills…. but essentially it is flat) forest.
Did we mentioned that there are pubs scattered about the forest making wonderful pit stops?
Great safe cycling for everyone
The New Forest National Park didn’t start off as a good place for cycling. It has become a great place because of the commercial logging. The Forestry Commission owns and manages large parts of the forest in partnership with the National Park Authority. In order to keep the forest thriving it cuts down the trees in places where there are too many and they are competing for light.
This means that there is always some little corner of the 94,000 acres of park where there is a bit of tree felling going on. The areas are cordoned off and visitors are re-directed around any logging activity. With the logging comes the need to get the occasional truck and heavy vehicles into the forest. This means wide, flat, well maintained logging trails. When they are not being used for vehicles (which is most of the time), they are used for walkers, horse-riders and cyclists.
When you look at the network of trails criss crossing the park as logging roads it all suddenly makes sense. The trails take you through open moorland, dense forest, Californian forest and past some of Europe’s most ancient trees. Norwegian Maples grow beside ancient oaks. Bluebells, gorse, rare orchids, all grow undisturbed, except for the occasional logging truck. So it is no wonder that there are plenty of places where you can enjoy cycling holidays in the New Forest.
Our recommended family route
Our favourite cycle from Cottage Lodge is across the open moor to Aldridge hill, where there is a possibility of seeing red deer. Then across the stream, through the bluebell wood and up the hill to the pub at Bank. After a refreshing drink and lunch it is past the deer fields and a look to see if you can spot some fallow deer, across to the ornamental drive (which is described as the garden of the forest).
Often there is an ice cream van here with wonderful New Forest Ice Cream. Then back to Cottage Lodge via the amazing Rhinefield House hotel. It is such a beautiful route and one that is forever changing. Different foliage, flowers, animals and scenery throughout the seasons.
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