New Forest Walking Festival 2014

From October 18^th to Sunday 2^nd November, for the second year running, the New Forest National Park have organised the New Forest Walking Festival.  Following the success of last year’s inaugural walk….this year’s event has doubled in size!

Walkers of all ages are invited to don their hiking boots, trainers or wellies and be led on bespoke experiences, by expert guides, highlighting the unique countryside, wildlife, culture and history of this internationally important landscape.

The autumn is an incredible time of year to walk around the National Park, with fiery foliage providing the perfect backdrop for exploring the gentle flat landscape that has been shaped over the centuries by grazing ponies, cattle and pigs.  Discover birds, beasts and unravel historical secrets.

More walks are being added every week, among the confirmed walks so far are:

• World War II History Hike
• Family Fungi Fun
• Map Reading Walks
• Walking Picnics
• Salt and Smuggling Trail
• Nordic Walking 

The guided walks are accessible by public transport, and most are free or discounted if you arrive by bus, train, bike or on foot! So be green this autumn…. and leave your car at home!

Free minibuses will be provided for some walks which have no public transport links.

Want to visit but need accommodation? To book a New Forest Cottage visit our website for the latest availability this coming week. 

Written by Cathy Marshall

Fantastic Fungi!

Fungi, more commonly known as mushrooms or toadstools, thrive by absorbing nutrients from dead plants and animals; a very important part of the forest ecosystem. Out of around 70,000

Species of fungi worldwide, 2,700 are found within the New Forest National Park. So it’s no wonder that Fungi foraging is very popular here in the New Forest.

Beware! Some fungi within the New Forest National Park are not suitable for consumption. Some species are poisonous and a small number can be deadly. Therefore it is vital you learn about the different Species before venturing into the countryside to pick for your own consumption.

Visitors are permitted to pick up to 1.5kg on a personal limit basis. The New Forest National Park Authority and Forestry Commission advise you to follow some simple guidelines in order to assist in protecting the rare species that we have left in the New Forest. Some fungi in The New Forest are under threat mainly due to over collecting, because of this there are some woods in the national park where picking fungi is prohibited. Click here for more information. 

There are many events scheduled across the New Forest this autumn educating foragers which mushrooms are edible and non-edible.

Join TV forager John Wright on Tuesday 21^st October between 10am-2pm and 2pm-4pm for a comprehensive walk through the New Forest Woodland to discover more about the mushrooms found within the New Forest National Park. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-9G7LVT

Stay in one of our cosy New Forest Cottages and learn something new this autumn…get out in the New Forest and enjoy the funky fungi the forest has to offer. 

And this little Piggy ate Acorns!!

What is Pannage?
Every year at the start of autumn the ‘Pannage’ season begins in The New Forest.  Pannage is the practice of releasing domestic pigs into the forest to rummage, eat and scoff their way through the thousands of acorns and other nuts that have fallen.  Releasing the pigs is vital to the forests ecology, as acorns are poisonous, in large quantities, to cattle and New Forest Ponies.

By releasing the pigs into the woodland they can enjoy a diet with a high amount of acorns, which effectively clears the forest of these nuts ensuring the safety of other wildlife. This is the only time of year that the pigs are free to roam anywhere in the New Forest…they would cause too much damage if they were wild!!  Pannage is also a way of fattening up the pigs for Christmas!

We don’t want to ‘boar’ you with facts, but……Did you know that an Oak tree normally starts producing acorns after about 50 years and one mature tree will shed 50,000 nuts!

So if you are out and about walking or cycling…look out for the pigs roaming the forest floors, snouting out the acorns!  They are usually released around the third week in September or whenever the acorns begin to drop from the beautiful trees, and will be turned out for a minimum of 60 days.

Visit us this Autumn
Don’t be the little piggy that stayed at home this autumn….come on down to the New Forest….enjoy the wonderful countryside….and meet the pigs!  New Forest Cottages has a variety of cosy cottages to choose from to suit all requirements. For further details on how to book visit our website or contact our friendly booking team on 01590 679655 who are on hand to help you find the perfect retreat. 

Don’t forget to visit the most famous pig in these parts….Peppa Pig at Peppa Pig World & Paultons Park.  Book one of our properties and purchase your reduced price tickets for as little as £22.25 each.

Written by Cathy Marshall.

Photo of single pig taken by Pete Birkinshaw and photo of piglets taken by Nige Brown