Stories, Guides & Ideas for Your New Forest Stay

Who owns the New Forest ponies? Discover how commoning works, why ponies, donkeys, cattle and pigs roam freely, and the traditions behind them.

Undercastle Cottage Two hours is all it takes to find another world... Leave London late Friday afternoon, zip down the M3 and before you know it, you're winding through pretty woods and rolling heather-covered heathlands, slowing down for a pony standing in the middle of the road (that's a traffic jam here) and wondering why life suddenly feels so much calmer. New Forest Ponies That's why, if you're looking for where to stay 2 hours from London, I'd always recommend find

The flora of the New Forest changes throughout every season. In fact, about a third of all British wildflowers grow in the forest, numbering around 700 species. Thus, the landscape is an ever-changing carousel of beautiful panoramas that we love to walk through when staying at Undercastle Cottage.

The New Forest’s chocolate box villages, rich history and outdoor adventures have guests coming back to Undercastle Cottage year after year. Autumn is Mother Nature’s grand finale and one of our favourite seasons in the forest. It’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy nature at its most colourful best. Autumn sees the forest put on a magical show of vivid pinks and purples across the carpeted heather plains flanked by a kaleidoscope of red, bronze, gold and dark glossy

The New Forest was originally a royal hunting area founded by William the Conqueror back in the 11th century. William loved his hunting, and bestowed rules and rights to the forest's inhabitants known as 'Commoners' regulating how they should live on the land. Nowadays, New Forest Commoners are those with property in the forest which still retain the ancient Commoning Rights. In September, Commoners can exercise one of their rights, in this case, the 'Right of Mast' or Pannag

Come to Undercastle Cottage in the New Forest in the summer months for a wildlife watching holiday. The National Park is well-known for its rich and vibrant wildlife, and there’s plenty of it to see from the cottage.

Dogs at Undercastle Cottage We are the only 5 Star dog friendly cottage in the New Forest! The New Forest is probably one of the most dog-friendly areas in the country that you can bring your dog for a holiday in 2026. There 220 square miles of natural playground for walks and space for pooches to run and sniff through the woods and vast heathlands. Undercastle Cottage is only a half-hour drive to the coast where you’ll find year-round dog-friendly beaches and cliff top walk

Read what Sainsbury’s Magazine writer Helena Lang thought of her stay at Undercastle Cottage. Staycation: Undercastle Cottage, New Forest by Helena Lang When I was a little girl I was a sucker for fairytales, and my favourites usually involved the heroine living in bucolic paradise in a picture-perfect thatched cottage, deep in the woods, surrounded by the sweet sound of birdsong and gentle wildlife. Little did I know that one day I would get to spend the weekend somewhere th

The days are starting to get longer, slightly warmer and hopefully drier! With the prospect of some extra days off work over Easter and the May Bank Holidays, come to the New Forest and see for yourself the beauty of our changing seasons. Here are suggestions for New Forest spring breaks what to see and where to go. Whether it’s a week-long stay or just a long weekend, a stay at our luxury cottage hidden deep in the forest will inspire you to slow down and appreciate a dulcet

Snuggle up in front of our log burner If you’re looking to whisk your sweetheart away to a romance-laden, lovers’ retreat for a valentines break in the New Forest, take a look at Undercastle Cottage. It’s tucked deep inside the woods of the New Forest National Park with no other houses in sight and surrounded by incredible wildlife and the famous New Forest ponies grazing outside. It is an idyllic and hopelessly romantic thatched cottage, perfect for a Valentine’s break explo

OcadoLife editor Jessie Lear stayed at Undercastle cottage with five friends and two very happy dogs. Read about her experience below. A storybook escape Published in Ocado Life Magazine, January 2026. From morning coffees watching otters play in the river to evenings spent under the stars, the secluded luxury of this New Forest holiday home gives it a fairytale feeling. When you’re getting away from the rat race in the hope of switching off, a few things make a big differenc

Article Published by The Times, August 2024 25 of the UK's most relaxing riverside stays "A dreamy cottage with Wind in the Willows vibes Thatched, timber-beamed and flagstoned-floored, this cottage is as homely as it gets. It sits on its own private 3/4-acre riverfront patch on the Hampshire stretch of the Avon and comes with a rowboat for messing about à la Ratty, Mole et al. Built around a sturdy oak frame, the cottage is cosy, with space for four, plus two more in a separ

As if this thatched, chocolate-box cottage on the banks of the Hampshire Avon weren’t idyllic enough, its owners have joined forces with a local nature enthusiast so guests can see badgers from a hide (there have only been three no-show evenings in a year).

Undercastle Cottage was featured by Good Housekeeping in March 2025 as one of its best family stays, praised for its riverside setting, wildlife, fishing and characterful interiors. "You’d be hard-pressed to find a more quintessentially English, picture-perfect country cottage than Undercastle in the New Forest. Thatched roof? Tick. Roses around the front door? Tick. Serene riverside setting, cosy fireplace and range cooker in the kitchen? Tick, tick, tick! Stay in winter and

Nothing beats that Christmassy feeling than a stay at Undercastle Cottage in December. It’s a chance to get festive and charge your batteries in readiness for the big day ahead. With lofty trees shimmering in the morning frost, deer tiptoeing through the garden and the famous New Forest ponies wrapped in thick fluffy coats grazing in the distance - this is where you can escape the holiday madness and enjoy Mother Nature’s peace on earth. That’s not to say there isn’t a full c

Find out what there is to see and do on a winter break in the New Forest

If you have ever wondered where is the New Forest Cottage that was in Gone Fishing? The answer is Undercastle Cottage! When Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer teamed up to make their hit TV show Gone Fishing, they made a series that wasn’t just educational in terms of fishing but a show which felt like a huge, warm, friendly hug, with the audience listening to a couple of old friends who have both undergone major heart surgery, chuckling away with witty banter pondering life an