Camping in Lymington

Lymington makes a good base for camping thanks to its position between the open heath and woodland of the New Forest and the tidal creeks and salt marshes of the Solent coast. As with the rest of England, wild camping is not legal here without the express permission of the landowner, so it is worth using one of the established campsites and Camping and Caravanning Club sites dotted around the New Forest villages of Pennington, Sway, Brockenhurst and Beaulieu, several of which are within easy cycling distance of Lymington itself. Many sit on the edge of the open forest, where free-roaming ponies, cattle and donkeys wander right up to the pitches, a distinctive feature of camping in this part of Hampshire.

The terrain around Lymington is gentle and mostly flat, a mix of heathland, ancient woodland and coastal marsh rather than anything rugged, which makes it well suited to family camping and to combining a pitch with cycling or walking. The Solent shoreline can be exposed to wind, so sites tucked into the forest fringe tend to be more sheltered than those right on the coast. The best camping season runs from late spring through to early autumn, when the forest tracks are dry underfoot and the long summer evenings suit sitting out; the New Forest can get busy with visitors over the summer holidays and on bank holiday weekends, so booking ahead is sensible at that time of year. Midsummer also brings a reasonable amount of midge and horsefly activity in the shadier parts of the forest, so it is worth packing insect repellent.

For those who would rather not pitch a tent, glamping has become well established across the New Forest, with options ranging from bell tents and shepherd's huts to safari tents and pods, many on small farm sites that back straight onto open forest or fields with grazing ponies. These tend to suit visitors who want the feel of camping with a proper bed, and are a good option outside the warmest months when a canvas tent alone might feel exposed. Whichever type of pitch is chosen, the New Forest's network of cycle-friendly gravel tracks and Lymington's own coastal path make it easy to explore both forest and shore without needing a car every day.