United Kingdom
Fordingbridge

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 1

      And we're off!

      September 18, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      Not quite what we'd hoped for our second bike trip away, but we're pretty sure the New Forest and Suffolk are going to be just as beautiful and lovely places to ride and explore as anywhere in central France would have been!

      After making sure both children set off for school and a quick supermarket trip to make sure they had enough food to at least survive the weekend, we set off at 9am as planned.

      Traffic getting out of Cornwall wasn't too bad and we decided to add some extra time to our journey by heading to Liskeard, Tavistock and across Dartmoor. It was a beautiful clear warm day, but the wind picked up as we crossed the Moor and it was really blustery and did get a bit chilly. We both used our heated grips for a bit, and Jamie regretted wearing shorts under his bike trousers!

      Once we hit Exeter though the traffic suddenly got a lot worse, and we felt like we queued pretty much from there the rest of the way. Being on bikes did mean we were able to skip past some of it, but as we both had large panniers we were a bit wide to fit down the smaller gaps between traffic, though there were plenty of narrower bikes that were happy to squeeze down the middle of the road.

      We meant to stop in Moretonhampstead for coffee but managed to ride past all the parking spaces before we realised, so decided to push on and stop at the next place we saw. Obviously there wasn't anywhere else to stop and we ended up at a very crowded Exeter Services. It was too busy to stay any longer than necessary, so we had a quick wee and a swig of water and pushed on.

      Roadworks and ridiculous traffic meant we only made it as far as our favourite farm shop with a view (Felicity's) to stop for a cup of tea and to eat our packed lunch. But that was fine as the view is worth stopping for and it was scorching hot by then.

      From there it was stop start traffic all the way to Ringwood where I had to stop for fuel (170 miles) and we arrived in Fordingbridge about 3:30.

      Despite there being slim pickings for accommodation, we have managed to find a little gem. Right in the middle of town but down a small alleyway so away from the road and with a garden that runs right down to the river, it's a beautiful spot.

      We sat by the river for a cup of Bearded Brewery cider that we'd brought with us then went for a wander round town. Despite many childhood holidays near here, I have no recollection of Fordingbridge at all. It's a sweet little town with a beautiful old church in an immaculately kept churchyard, and really lovely old buildings.

      We had already booked a table at the Italian restaurant which was necessary as everywhere was booked up, but we did manage to find a table in the Ship Inn for a drink afterwards. Then it was home for an early night! Those 175 miles really did take it out of us!
      Read more

    • Day 2

      Day 2, long walk around the forest

      September 19, 2020 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Our lovely Air BnB host, Jackie, provided a fab continental breakfast for us this morning, with homemade fruit compote, yogurt, croissants and toast. Feeling pretty full, we set off about 9:30 past the bakery to grab a back-up picnic lunch in case we couldn't find space in a pub, and headed out of Fordingbridge in the wrong direction.

      We enjoyed the slight detour though a lovely housing estate and found our way back to the path we had intended to set out along, across the river Avon and into the New Forest proper.

      We arrived at the first pub in Woodgreen too early, so kept walking, until we found the stream where I used to picnic and play on our family holidays. We took the traditional family photo with everyone lined up in height order, I cooled my feet in the stream, and we had a short rest.

      We carried on along the stream, and found our way to the Fighting Cocks in Godshill, where luckily they had a free table outside and we had a massive lunch of chicken and chips. (Hunter's for me and Peri Peri for Jamie). We weren't quite ready to head straight back home so headed down to Frogham for a cup of tea, then walked out to the main road to have a peak at the water park, then back across the river and through the fisheries back home.

      Total distance about 25km

      We just about managed to make it up to our room to fill our cups with cider, then back to the table by the river where we collapsed to watch the ducks and geese and read our books.

      After a rest and showers we headed out for a lap of the village to find somewhere to book a table for dinner tomorrow (there is only one place feeding people on a Sunday evening) and a drink.

      I think we'll sleep well tonight, though it is very warm still sitting here in the beer garden, so I feel it may be a hot and sticky night!
      Read more

    • Day 2

      Wildlife

      September 19, 2020 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      A massive ants' nest, some kind of wasp's nest in a tree, donkeys and ponies fighting for dominance at the water bath outside the pub. The horses won. We also saw lots of small gold bellied birds with long tails yet to be identified, and possibly a kingfisher, very briefly.Read more

    • Day 3

      Walking, paddling and piggies

      September 20, 2020 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      After another lovely breakfast, we set off on the bikes across the forest to Bolder wood to see the deer. The forest seems to be fuller than ever with animals, and I don't think I've ever seen so many donkeys! Their foals are so cute and fluffy at the moment. It's always a slow journey across the forest, but today we were going against the traffic of the New Forest 100 Sportive cycle race, so there were even more obstacles to avoid than ever!
      We got to Bolder wood just before 10, and it was still pretty quiet. We walked down the hill to see the deer, but perhaps they were waiting for the crowds to make an appearance as we couldn't spot any.

      We did a lovely big loop on and off the beaten tracks (we never seem to manage to follow the proper paths for a whole walk and inevitably end up crashing through undergrowth at some point), stopping at the Reptile centre to say hello to a couple of adders, and futilely look for the promised toads and lizards in the enclosures. There were a whole family of pigs there with about 10 piglets who were very friendly, and particularly friendly with each other!

      We headed back to the bikes to find the car park absolutely packed, and headed off to Lyndhurst to find some lunch.

      Which we did at the Mad Hatters Tea Room, then had a quick wander around the village, and a small nap (Jamie) on the hill, then decided to find somewhere for a swim as it was so hot.
      I googled 'wild swimming new forest,' and the best I could find was a small patch of water outside Bulmer Lawn Hotel, where small children were happily splashing around but there wasn't nearly enough water to actually swim. Even if it hadn't been completely freezing. So we had a paddle and sat for a bit reading books before heading home.

      Molly, the gorgeous Collie X greyhound needed a bit of exercise so we threw the ball for her in the garden for a bit. She loves launching herself into the river, and I tried to get a mid-air photo, but failed.

      Dinner was at the Ship Inn, the only place serving food on a Sunday night, then we headed back to pack up ready to move on tomorrow.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Fordingbridge, فوردینگ‌بریج

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android