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The New Forest bedroom Verderers Rest, is named after the official people who take care of the New Forest. Verderers protect and administer the New Forest’s unique agricultural practices and conserve its landscape. All of Cottage Lodge hotel’s 16 bedrooms are named after people or places significant to the New Forest, or with the original cottage building. Rooms are individually-designed and furnished and no two are alike. The Hotel room Discover the amazing oak headboard from a huge oak tree created by artisan Rob Dyer from a tree that fell in a New Forest farm. It took four men to carry it into the building. The New Forest bedroom Verderers Rest is a ground floor hotel room with a view of a courtyard. This is a popular room at the hotel. It can be set up to be twin beds … Continue reading →

Cottage Lodge Hotel is really excited to collaborate with Experience Hampshire. Experience Hampshire – Helping you to discover local treasures Who are they? Experience Hampshire is the gatekeeper for Hampshire’s best kept secrets. Their mission is to become the go-to platform for locals and visitors to seek out, book and take part in original Hampshire-based activities and experiences. Whether you are an adventurer, an explorer, creative, or just curious, they have something just for you. They hand-pick unique activity providers, artisans, hosts and local experts who offer their bespoke collection of experiences to browsers through their online portal.  Why are they different? Trust them, they know Hampshire. Their tight-knit team know every nook and cranny in this shire and have built strong relationships with local experience providers, creating perfect experiences for browsers to enjoy.  Their online portal adopts the very … Continue reading →

We have all craved extra space recently and here at Cottage Lodge we have found a cute solution to add outdoor space for some of our rooms. Why not choose one of our rooms with outdoor space when you book? These rooms are fantastic for gaining a little extra space and great to retreat to when you return to the hotel. Here is our handy guide to booking your perfect Cottage Lodge escape. Which rooms have garden spaces? Here at the hotel we have tried vey hard to maximise the outdoor space for our guests. We have a rear cottage garden which allows 7 of our 16 rooms to enjoy a little added garden space. These cottage rooms have a cute little exterior area allocated to them for guests to enjoy in fine weather. They are the perfect spot to … Continue reading →

In the beautiful nearby village of Beaulieu, you can discover the award winning Beaulieu Motor Museum, featuring a stunning collection of prized motorised vehicles housed within a fabulous display. Entrance to Beaulieu includes not only the motor museum, but also access to Beaulieu Abbey, where you can step back in time to where the monks roamed the cloisters 800 years ago. On the Beaulieu estate you can also visit the grand Palace House, the home of the Montagu family. Here, friendly, informative and costumed guides are on hand to give you a flavour of what life was like in Victorian times. You can wander through original bedrooms, family rooms and even the kitchen, including the colourful Victorian Kitchen Garden. History of the Beaulieu estate Visitors have been exploring the ruins of Beaulieu Abbey since 1912. In 1952, Edward, Lord Montagu opened Palace … Continue reading →

Relax in the Rhinefield Bedroom in the heart of the New Forest. This first floor bedroom at Cottage Lodge is full of character with lovely, locally-sourced wood surfaces, a tactile and romantic room. Luxuriate in the four-poster bed, which was specially made from a single Ash tree by New Forest designer and artisan Rob Dyer. It looks beautiful and smells amazing, much like the place it is named after, Rhinefield. Where is Rhinefield? Rhinefield is an area of the New Forest near to Brockenhurst. It is famed for it’s beauty and here you’ll find an ornamental drive that was planted in 1859 by John E Nelson, head nurseryman of the New Forest. He was also responsible for planting the gardens of Rhinefield house which are set in an arboretum. From your bedroom get inspired to go off exploring around Rhinefield, … Continue reading →

Unwind in this large, individually-designed ground floor four-poster bedroom with small west-facing patio garden. The Wilverley bedroom is one of our most romantic hotel rooms. And it is named after a beautiful part of the forest nearby. The amazing four-poster bed in the Wilverley bedroom is made from locally-sourced New Forest oak and sycamore. It was created by local designer and artisan Robert Dyer. Walking at Wilverley At Wilverley just 3 miles from Cottage Lodge Hotel there is a beautiful gravel circuit. It can be enjoyed year round within the inclosure where an abundance of ornamental and young and old trees blend with trees destined for logging. This area is perfect for all ages and is particularly popular with families and cyclists. On Wilverley plain it is common to see New forest ponies, cattle and deer and is a fantastic … Continue reading →

This room is named after a Brockenhurst local character named Brusher Mills. A.K.A The Snake catcher. Don’t worry we certainly don’t include snakes with your room! Unwind in this characterful room with furniture including open-fronted wardrobe and table made from Ash. Plus a hand-made four-poster bed created from Silver Birch and Oak. A truly New Forest experience. All the furniture is hand-crafted by New Forest designer and artisan Rob Dyer. This rear-facing room gets the afternoon sun and is perfect for a romantic getaway. Who was Brusher Mills? Named Henry and known as Harry, Brusher Mills grew up in the village of Emery Down. He worked as a labourer. In his forties he moved into an old charcoal burner’s hut in woodlands near Sporelake Lawn (near Brockenhurst, and took up catching snakes for a living) Armed with a forked stick … Continue reading →

The Standing Hat is a popular walking route in Brockenhurst and the name for one our most popular rooms featuring a hand crafted 4 poster bed by artisan designer Robert Dyer. Why is it called the Standing Hat? Your four-poster room, the Standing Hat – which means small tree-topped hill – is named after a delightful place in the New Forest on the edge of Brockenhurst. ‘In the New Forest, according to Heywood Sumner writing in 1923, ‘tree clumps, eminent because of their growth, or because they stand on knolls, are called Hats.’ About this special room Treat yourself to a stay in this front-facing romantic ground floor four-poster bedroom. The room is constructed from local Douglas Fir and has wooden flooring. Your king-sized four-poster bed is made by the designer and artisan Rob Dyer from a beech tree felled … Continue reading →

Later this spring, Forestry England and the New Forest National Park Authority will launch their annual campaign to support the ground nesting bird season here in the New Forest. The campaign which starts on the 1st of March aims to raise awareness of the critical importance of this habitat to many rare ground nesting birds, and highlight how the public can play their part in supporting them during this time aiding bird conservation in the New Forest. Ground nesting bird conservation in the New Forest Ground nesting birds such as the lapwing, nightjar and curlew at risk of completely disappearing from the UK as their numbers dwindle due to loss of habitat and disturbance. The New Forest is one of the last places in the UK where these birds can still be found and helping them to breed successfully is … Continue reading →

A beginner’s guide to Nature Therapy Today’s busy lives can have a significant impact on our mental and physical wellbeing. If you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle for a while, why not have a go at forest bathing? Despite the name you won’t need to pack your swimsuit: it simply means the practice of slowing down and immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere. This handy guide will give you some top tips and places to go, so you can return to your roots. The science of nature Forest bathing or ‘shinrin-yoku’ was first developed in Japan in the 1980s, following scientific studies conducted by the government. The results showed that two hours of mindful exploration in a forest could reduce blood pressure, lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels and improve concentration and memory. They also found that trees releases … Continue reading →