Why Visit The New Forest In Autumn?
It’s the time of year to embrace your craving for calm and relaxation. An autumn break is that unexpected breather towards the end of the year that you sometimes forget is needed.
Time to settle in to the change of the season, warm the soul in front of a fire and reconnect with nature as it showcases its beautiful colours.
It’s a facilitator of a digital detox, a sanctuary of relaxation, a hub of activities, and a place in which to explore, rest and recover – that’s why you should visit the New Forest for a autumn break.
Digital Detox
You needn’t explain your reason for seeking a digital detox; for wanting to put down technology and step towards the natural, even for just a day or two. We understand that life is busy, and not always in a bad way, but sometimes that feeling of needing to escape builds and you need to listen to it. Getting away can make it easier to detox from the digital, it invites you to explore new places, try new activities, or find deep relaxation away from the screens that seem to demand your attention.
A spa break in the New Forest can offer you a chance to calm the central nervous system by decreasing the stimulation and distraction that comes from constant screen time and that reliance on the dopamine hit you get with every notification. The Unplugged: Digital Detox Spa Break invites you to enjoy all that our five-star spa, SenSpa, has to offer: book a spa treatment, fall asleep reading, sit mindfully in the tepidarium or ease tense and tired muscles in the hydrotherapy pool.
Walks
Reconnect with nature this autumn. It’s a wonderful time to walk, coast or country and in the New Forest National Park we’re spoiled for choice with walking trails and cycling tracks. This time of year, it’s chilly enough to wrap up in your favourite cosy layers but warm enough that you can peel back the layers and still feel the warmth of the sun as you meander along forest trails, passing ponies and donkeys as you explore.
Activities and attractions
Autumn means cosy evenings in front of the fire, nourishing meals and rainy afternoons in the spa, but it’s also the perfect out of season time to visit some local attractions and try new activities.
Those crisp, blue-sky days are what you dream of for canoe trips along Beaulieu River with New Forest Activities or days exploring much-loved New Forest attractions like Exbury Gardens, the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu or hiring bikes and hitting the trails thanks to Cyclexperience Bike Hire.
The New Forest larder
If you’re keen foragers you’ll love spotting wild plants, mushrooms and fungi in and around our ancient woodland, the New Forest in autumn provides a feast for foodies.
For those who would like to learn more, autumn 2024 sees the start of Wild New Forest sessions at our sister hotel, The Montagu Arms Hotel in Beaulieu. On Friday mornings, from the 24th October throughout autumn and winter, ‘Wild New Forest’s knowledgeable guides will lead you through the stunning landscape on our very doorstep, unveiling the mysteries of mushrooms and toadstools during the winter season, and the beauty of flora, butterflies, and birds up close in spring.’
The Pannage
Whether you’re wandering, hiking, biking or driving along our winding forest roads, keep an eye out for our extra special autumn roamers… The snuffling Pannage pigs. Set free by Commoners for what’s called the ‘Pannage’ – a tradition that dates back to the time of William the Conqueror, which sees pigs set loose into the forest to eat the acorns and chestnuts that are poisonous to the ponies.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE PANNAGE
The autumn colours never get old
Last but by no means least, one of the most wonderful reasons to visit the New Forest in autumn is to experience the warm glow of our autumn leaves changing and dropping into the winter, creating an amber carpet and that nostalgic crunch under foot that tells of family trips, autumnal walks, time spent in nature and post-forest afternoon teas or lunches with loved ones.
Autumn is a special time to take a break; a chance to de-stress and feel uplifted as you head into winter and the bustle of the festive season. Step out into nature, bathe in the tranquillity that only being surrounded by trees and flowing brooks and the flutter of leaves can bring and detox the mind and body, literally or figuratively – whatever kind of escape you need, you can find it here at our New Forest hotel.