New Forest Tour
Book a New Forest tour by private chauffeur and escape London for a scenic countryside experience. Enjoy comfortable travel, flexible sightseeing and private service.
Why choose us
- The car stays with youYour chauffeur waits at every stop on the itinerary.
- One agreed priceFixed before you travel, with no meter running.
- Change the plan freelyAdjust the itinerary up to 1 hour before pickup.
- Door to doorCollected from your home or hotel and returned there.
- Room for the groupSaloons through to a sixteen seat minibus.
- 24/7 customer serviceReal people on the phone at any hour.
New Forest tours ponies and heath.
The New Forest is a national park in
Hampshire covering roughly 220 square miles of unenclosed heath, ancient
oak woodland and coastline, and it holds one of the largest surviving tracts of
that landscape in southern England. William the Conqueror declared it a royal
hunting ground in 1079, and the commoning rights established afterwards
still govern how it works today. Around 5,000 free-roaming ponies graze
the heaths, joined by cattle, donkeys and pigs owned by local commoners, and
those animals hold legal right of way over traffic on every forest road.
Speed limits reflect that. Most forest
roads run at 40mph with 30mph zones through the villages, and animals wander
across tarmac without warning. Nowhere else in England asks drivers to
negotiate livestock at that scale, which is precisely why an unfamiliar visitor
behind the wheel spends the day watching the verge instead of the view.
Westway Ride removes that problem. A
chauffeur who drives these lanes regularly handles the ponies, the cattle grids
and the single-track gravel roads while you look out of the window. Collection
happens at your door, the car remains yours for the full booking, and the route
bends around whatever catches your interest. This forest day joins our wider private tour range across
southern England.
The Ponies and the Commoners
Ponies define the visit, and finding
them takes local knowledge rather than luck. They congregate around Hatchets
Pond and Culverley Green near Beaulieu, on the heath at Bolton’s Bench outside
Lyndhurst, and at the Watersplash in Brockenhurst, a stream that runs straight
across the road where they stop to drink. Because the herds roam freely, no
location guarantees a sighting on a given morning, though a driver who covers
the forest weekly knows where they were yesterday.
Commoning explains the whole arrangement.
Local residents holding commoning rights turn their animals out to graze, and
officials called Agisters manage the herds and collect the grazing fees.
Roughly 10 to 15 stallions run out during breeding season to control foal
numbers. Feeding the animals is prohibited: it pulls them toward roads and
picnic sites, which endangers both them and visitors. That grazing is what
keeps the heath open, and it shaped the villages that grew up alongside it.
Beaulieu and Buckler’s Hard
Beaulieu anchors most itineraries as
the forest’s main attraction. The National Motor Museum holds a
collection of more than 250 vehicles, from Edwardian machines to land speed
record holders, and sits in the grounds alongside Palace House and the ruins of
the 13th-century Cistercian abbey that gave the village its name. Families
generally spend two to three hours across the whole estate.
Buckler’s Hard lies two miles downriver,
a single street of 18th-century cottages sloping to the Beaulieu River where
shipwrights built warships for Nelson’s fleet from local oak. Its maritime
museum tells that story, and the riverside walk between the two makes an easy
stretch of the legs. Wartime history threads through the area too: Beaulieu
housed a training school for Special Operations Executive agents, and airfields
across the forest supported the D-Day landings of June 1944. Away from the
estate, the villages set a gentler pace.
Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and the Villages
Lyndhurst works as the forest’s
capital, its high street lined with independent shops, tea rooms and pubs, with
the New Forest Heritage Centre explaining the landscape’s history. Bolton’s
Bench sits on the edge of the village, a yew-topped mound named after an
18th-century Master Keeper, and the view from the top takes in heath in every
direction. The parish church nearby holds the grave of Alice Hargreaves, the
girl who inspired Alice in Wonderland.
Brockenhurst offers thatched cottages,
tea rooms and that ford where ponies drink. Burley draws visitors with its
witchcraft folklore and village shops, Lymington adds a Georgian harbour town
with a Saturday market and ferries to the Isle of Wight, and Bank, Minstead and
Swan Green fill the quieter corners. Which combination suits you depends
heavily on the time of year.
Booking takes three steps
- 01
Select Location, Date & Time
Enter your desired pick-up and drop-off locations, along with the pickup date and time.
- 02
Choose Your Vehicle
Select the perfect vehicle from our fleet to suit your needs and preferences.
- 03
Make Your Booking
Confirm your booking and make the payment.
What travellers say about the drive
"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent service from Westway Ride! Friendly, professional driver and a smooth, comfortable journey to Heathrow yesterday. Highly recommended and will definitely use again. Thank you! 😊"
Fahad Karimin the last week · Google review
"Absolutely fantastic experience. Mahir was waiting for me as soon as I arrived, took care of my cases which was great after a very long flight and quickly took me to the car. He was kind enough to share the wifi with me as I was having difficulty with my phone, gave me an ETA and let me know 5 minutes before we arrived. Absolutely wonderful service. I can not recommend them enough. Thank you for such great service."
Maria State3 weeks ago · Google review
"Excellent experience with Westway Rides! Everything was smooth from booking to drop-off. The service was reliable, the car was clean, and the driver was very polite. Would definitely use them again"
Ahmad javed (Ahmed javed)a month ago · Google review
"A very comfortable and relaxing ride! From start to finish, the experience with Westwey Rides London was excellent. The chauffeur was friendly, professional, and made the journey feel effortless. The car was spotless, spacious, and extremely comfortable. Everything was handled smoothly, and I really appreciated the attention to detail. Definitely a great choice for anyone looking for a stress-free and comfortable chauffeur service in London. Highly recommended!"
Velvet Huesa month ago · Google review
"We have used Westway for all of our Heathrow transfers. We travel as a family of 5 with my three young children plus a grandma. They have been perfectly reliable, easy to communicate with, and flexible when there are last minute changes to flights. All of the drivers have been very polite and professional. I highly recommend this company and plan to continue to use them regularly."
Daniel Byles-Smith3 months ago · Google review
"Had a great experience with westway ride. The driver was punctual, professional, and very courteous throughout the journey. The vehicle was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained, making the trip smooth and enjoyable. Really appreciated the safe driving and friendly attitude. Highly recommend this service and would definitely book again!"
Hira Khan6 months ago · Google review
"Excellent chauffeur service! I had a great experience with Westwey Rides London. The chauffeur was professional, punctual, polite, and very helpful throughout the journey. The car was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. The entire booking process was smooth and hassle-free, and the service was truly reliable. I would definitely recommend Westwey Rides London to anyone looking for a comfortable and professional chauffeur service in London"
kelly taylora day ago · Google review
"Excellent service and suport Two flight was cancelled but the third was ok . But communication between me and office was better than expected. Many thanks once again. Zbigniew Kaczor from Poland."
Zbigniew Kaczor5 days ago · Google review
"The transfer organisation was perfect.The drivers were on time.I highly recommend 👍👍👍"
emre baykurt2 weeks ago · Google review
Where would you go?
Book a chauffeurWe are here to answer
all your questions.
Everything you need to know about our private tours.
Almost certainly. Around 5,000 ponies roam the park and gather regularly near Beaulieu, Bolton’s Bench and the Brockenhurst ford. Your chauffeur heads for wherever the herds have been grazing recently.
No. Feeding is prohibited because it draws the animals toward roads and picnic areas, and it disrupts their grazing. Photograph them from a respectful distance instead.
Beaulieu combines the National Motor Museum, Palace House and a ruined Cistercian abbey on one estate. Two to three hours covers the site comfortably, and Buckler’s Hard sits two miles downriver.
Between 90 minutes and two hours by road, depending on the M3. Allow nine or ten hours in total for a full unhurried day in the park.
Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and Beaulieu form the core trio. Burley adds folklore and village shops, and Lymington brings a Georgian harbour with its Saturday market.
Late summer, generally from August into early September, when the open heath turns purple. Autumn colour follows in October, and foals appear in spring.
A gentle mix. The car handles the distances between villages and heaths while short strolls happen wherever you fancy a closer look, which keeps the day comfortable for all ages.
For a visitor, yes. Animals hold right of way, limits run at 40mph and 30mph, and cattle grids and unfenced roads catch out newcomers, which is why a driver who knows the forest matters.
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