New Milton

New Milton makes a practical, well-connected base for exploring both the New Forest and the Hampshire coast, with its own railway station keeping London and the south coast within easy reach even without a car. The town itself has a modest but useful choice of hotels and guest houses, generally more affordable than the well-known Forest villages such as Brockenhurst or Lyndhurst, making it a sensible option for visitors who'd rather spend their budget on days out than on the room.

For a more scenic stay, Barton-on-Sea and Milford-on-Sea, both a short drive from New Milton, offer hotels and guest houses closer to the clifftops and the Solent, with some rooms taking in views across to the Isle of Wight. These coastal spots put Hurst Castle, Keyhaven and the clifftop walks within easy reach, while still keeping New Milton's shops, station and the open Forest commons no more than ten minutes away.

Whichever base you choose, New Milton's position on the southern edge of the New Forest National Park means ponies, heathland and woodland trails are never far off, while the coast road strings together Barton-on-Sea, Milford-on-Sea and Lymington for an easy day of clifftop walking, beach time and pub lunches. It's a good option for visitors who want a foot in both the Forest and the coast without committing fully to either.

New Milton's own attractions are modest, but it's ringed by some of the New Forest coast's best-known sights, all within a few minutes' drive.

• Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum — on the edge of town, this is one of the world's leading motorcycle collections, with several hundred machines spanning factory racers, exotic prototypes and historic curiosities, plus a working blacksmith's forge and animal park.
• Barton-on-Sea clifftops — a level, well-maintained cliff walk with sweeping views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. The crumbling cliffs here are a well-known source of fossils, and the promenade below has a shingle beach and beach huts.
• Milford-on-Sea — a genteel neighbouring village with a green, a scattering of independent shops and some of the area's better-regarded pubs and restaurants, plus Hordle Cliff beach with its row of colourful beach huts.
• Hurst Castle — a Tudor artillery fort built for Henry VIII at the tip of a two-mile shingle spit reaching out from Milford-on-Sea. It's reachable on foot along the spit or by a seasonal ferry from Keyhaven that also gives good views of the Needles.
• Keyhaven and the Solent marshes — the harbour village of Keyhaven, with its sailing club and mudflats, is a favourite spot for birdwatching, particularly for waders and wildfowl over autumn and winter.
• New Forest heaths and woodland — the open commons immediately north of New Milton, around Wootton and Hinton Admiral, offer free-roaming New Forest ponies, cycling routes and walking straight from the town's edge.
• New Milton town centre and market — a compact high street along Station Road and Old Milton Road, with a weekly Tuesday market and a mix of independent and chain shops.

The town centre has a practical spread of cafes, takeaways and pubs along Station Road and Old Milton Road, while the real dining draw is a short drive away in Milford-on-Sea, which has built a reputation locally for its pubs and restaurants overlooking the green and the coast. Barton-on-Sea's clifftop also has cafes making the most of the Solent views, popular as a stop after a walk along the cliffs or a visit to Hurst Castle.

Camping around New Milton means combining New Forest woodland with an easy run down to the Solent coast, and the area has a good spread of established sites catering to both. As with everywhere in England, wild camping is illegal without the landowner's explicit permission, so stick to licensed campsites, certified locations and caravan parks, several of which sit in the countryside just north of the town around Bashley, Wootton and Hinton Admiral, within a few miles of open Forest heath and grazing ponies. Sites closer to the coast, around Milford-on-Sea and Lymington, put you within easy reach of Hurst Spit, Keyhaven and the clifftop walks at Barton-on-Sea.

The terrain here is a mix of flat, sheltered Forest woodland and more exposed coastal ground, so it's worth checking a site's setting before booking: pitches tucked into the Forest tend to be calmer in windy weather, while coastal sites trade a bit of shelter for sea views and easier beach access. Facilities vary considerably, from simple, back-to-basics fields with standpipes and portable loos to fuller-service caravan parks with electric hook-ups, shower blocks and on-site shops, so it's worth matching the site to how much comfort you want.

The best camping season runs from late spring to early autumn, when the ground is drier underfoot, the New Forest ponies and their foals are commonly seen on the commons, and the Hurst Castle ferry and most coastal cafes are open. High summer brings the biggest crowds and the tightest availability, particularly for coastal pitches, so early booking is worthwhile for July and August, while May, June and September tend to offer a quieter, often better-value alternative with similar weather. Winter camping is possible at some year-round sites but conditions on open coastal or Forest ground can turn wet and exposed.

For those who'd rather skip the tent, glamping has a growing presence around the New Forest, with options ranging from simple pre-erected canvas bell tents to fully-equipped shepherd's huts and safari tents with proper beds and heating. These give a good middle ground for a Forest-and-coast break at New Milton: the same access to ponies, heathland and the Solent shore, without needing to haul your own kit.