Woodlands - New Forest B&B
Woodlands is on the edge of the New Forest situated between New Milton and Lymington in approximately one acre of beautiful grounds and natural woodland. The perfect place to stay to tour the whole area.
What's New:
Golfing Mini-Breaks
TheNew Forest has many Golf Courses. We have put together a selection of new forest accommodations that cater for the Golfing enthusiast and their Families. Many are keen Golfers themselves and I know of at least One professional golfing family that are new forest bed and breakfast hosts.
Updated: December 14, 2011
Some Forest facts:
Commoners
What
is a commoner? Can anyone become a Commoner? What are the responsibilities of
releasing stock into the Forest?
What is Common of Mast, Turbary, Estovers, Marl? They were concessions won from
the Crown centuries ago - but are they still practised?
A Commoner is a person who occupies land to which Common Rights in the New
Forest are attached. A Right of Common is authority for the occupier of a plot
of land (to which Rights are attached), to take specified material or products
from somebody else's land. In the context of the New Forest, the principal
product is grazing and the owner of the land is the Crown. Land with Common
Rights is not confined to the perambulation of the Forest; many "holdings" are
in villages on the periphery of the Forest.
Rights of Common of Pasture are attributed to land. It permits depasturing of "commonable"
animals on 45,000 acres of Open Forest. Commonable animals are ponies, horned
cattle and donkeys. Goats are barred from the Open Forest. By historic practice,
chicken and geese may wander in the Forest, but this is not a Common Right.
Those depasturing animals must comply with Verderers' Bye-Laws:
payments to Agisters, receipt of which is recognised by tail marking (cutting)
for ponies, and ear tags for cattle;
all stock must be branded to identify the owner (usually near-side saddle area
in ponies and the off-side in cattle);
disease control regulations must be complied with and vicious or mischievous
animals must not be depastured;
stallions over 2 years old must be approved by the Verderers, they must be
registered New Forest ponies and they must be moved on every 4th year to avoid
in-breeding.
About 5,000 commonable animals are turned out. The ratio of ponies to cattle is
3:2. Around 130 stallions are turned out in the breeding season. About 500
Commoners use the Right. There is no limit to the number of animals that may be
depastured.
...But though the form of the New-forest horse is seldom beautiful; yet as the
ornament of a forest scene he is very picturesque. The horse, in his natural
state, rough with all his mane about him, and his tail waving in the wind, as he
feeds, is always beautiful; but particularly in so wild a scene as this, which
he graces exceedingly."
(William Gilpin, 1791)
Common of Mast is the right to turn out pigs in the Forest during the Pannage
season. The Pannage season is a period of not less than 60 days, fixed by the
Forestry Commission after consultation with the Verderers. Before the 1964 New
Forest Act, the Pannage season was fixed at 25 Sep-22 Nov.
Pannage is an ancient practice to fatten pigs before slaughter and salting for
the winter. It was additionally useful in the Forest - the pigs turned out ate
green acorns and beech mast that are poisonous to cattle and ponies (for
example, in 1968, 80 ponies and 40 cattle died eating acorns). The 3,500 acres
of Adjacent Commons recently brought within the perambulation are not subject to
Pannage dates.
In the 19th century, up to 5,000-6,000 pigs were turned out; currently the
numbers are in hundreds - it is a declining Right. Commoners may also turn out
breeding sows out all year providing they return to the Commoner's holding at
night, and are not a nuisance. This is not a true Right, it is an established
practice.
Right of Turbary
This Right allows the Commoner to cut turf for fuel; turves were once cut in
tens of thousands each year. Turves were 2' by 1'; to preserve grazing and
reduce environmental damage, for every turf cut, two were left. A ticket to cut
turf was issued by the Forestry Commission. In 1876, 80 people cut turf, but the
Right is no longer practised. The Rights belong to the chimney and hearth of a
property, not the land.
Right of Fuelwood (Estovers)
This is the Right to cut wood for fuel. The wood must be burned in the house and
the Right applies to the hearth, not land.
The Right is now confined to a few Commoners; most have sold their Rights to the
Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission stacks the wood close to holdings
in long stacks. The stacks are labelled into "cords"; a cord is a stack of wood
in 4 foot lengths, 4 feet high and 8 feet long. In 1996, 99 properties had
allocations totalling 221 cords. The Right is controlled by the Forestry
Commission, to inhibit plunder of the Ancient & Ornamental woodland.
Anyone living in a property built before 1850 within the perambulation can pick
fallen twigs and branches, providing a vehicle is not required to transport
them.
Right of Common of Marl
Marl is a lime-rich clay used to fertilise land; it was also be used for
building. The Right of Common of Marl was to dig marl from one of the 23 pits
mentioned in the Register of Claims. It is not now exercised; modern fertilisers
have made the practice unnecessary and exercise of the Right died out last
century. It was confined geologically to the south of the Forest.
Common of Pasture of Sheep
There are Rights to depasture sheep at very few holdings, principally at
Godshill and Beaulieu - lands formerly belonging to monastic properties.
Exercise of the sheep Rights is uncommon; in the early 1990's 100 sheep were
depastured at Godshill for the first time this century - they are now gone.
Sheep are depastured on the former Adjacent Commons, principally Penn Common.
Customs (not Rights of Common)
Cutting fern: Fern (bracken) is cut from the end of August. It was originally
cut in squares by scythe, but is now "swiped" by machine. Sixty bundles (pooks)
made one wagon load. It was a frequent practice until the 1940's and the tracks
of the wagons can still be traced on the ground. The bracken had the same
utility as straw. It is still cut by a few now as bedding for ponies, but it is
principally cut to stop the fronds smothering sweet grass.
Bees: Hives are placed July-September; a fee is payable to Forestry Commission.
Old "Bee Gardens" have been described in the Forest - small circular enclosures
where hives were placed. Names of locations in the Forest testify to the
practice - Hive Garn Bottom, King's Garn Gutter.
Gorse (furze) and holly: They were cut to provide browse in the winter for the
ponies and deer. Deer won't eat gorse, but they find cut holly palatable. I have
never seen cut gorse, but holly trees are still pollarded to provide winter
browse.
Updated: July 16, 2011
Recent Events:
Launch of new portal
This
month saw the launch of our new forest portal site
http://www.newforest.uk.com
Updated: July 16, 2011
Woodlands Lodge - Ashley in the New Forest
- Tel: 01 425 616 425
bealwoodlands@yahoo.co.uk
NEW FOREST BED AND BREAKFAST ACCOMMODATION
Linda and Mike Beal have pleasure in offering you the following accommodation:-
Guests are welcome to explore the lovely garden and on to the woodlands
beyond.
Wildlife in abundance can be found from the family of squirrels, a pheasant that
visits the bird table, garden birds including long-tail Tits, and you might even
catch a glimpse of the Deer which often visit the garden in the early morning.
Come for a day or a week or two you will always find a warm welcome.
Click Here for More Photographs
The Kingfisher Suite
Superior Double with King-size bed with Sumptuous Feather Mattress topper for
extra Comfort.
The Chaffinch Suite
Grand Double Room with Twin beds, although can be adapted to a Super-king if
required.
The Woodpecker Suite
Standard Double Room with King-size bed.
*All Guest Suites have en suite, shower, wash basin and w/c. TV incorporating
DVD player. Complimentary Tea/coffee and bottled water.
*Single night stay welcome but are subject to availability and surcharge. **Not
available on Bank Holidays.
All of the photographs were taken in our gardens
You can breakfast with a difference if you like 60's and 70's music as we have a
Juke Box in the Dining room and arrangements can be made to choose your own
music with the agreement of other guests.
A choice of breakfast is served from a full English to vegetarian..
We look forward to receiving you as our bed and breakfast guests. We have several leaflets
about places of interest in and around the New Forest available to our
accommodation guests for sightseeing and the local beaches. Non-smoking
accommodation with plenty of secure off-road parking.
ABOUT US
The New Forest in Hampshire, England was originally commandeered
in 1079 as a deer hunting area by the king, William the Conqueror. As Duke
William of Normandy (known as "William the Bastard"), he had successfully
invaded England in 1066.
The New Forest is a beautiful area, but it is not "natural" in the sense of
untouched by man.
The Forest has been moulded by the fads of monarchs since William, and the
changing priorities of the Crown over the last 900 years: deer; timber for naval
shipbuilding; commercial timber production; recreation.
"Forest" in a medieval sense was a legally defined area - subject to special
laws - where the "beasts of the chase" (deer & wild pig) and their food were
protected for the pleasure of the monarch. It was not necessarily a wooded area
in the modern meaning - nearly half the New Forest is open heath, grassland and
bog.
The laws enacted to preserve the deer for the royal pleasure were the Forest
Laws. The odious penalties of Forest Law for interference with the king's deer
and its food ("browse") became less severe over the centuries, but remnants of
the legal structure that policed the area for the Crown are still present in the
New Forest as the Verderers' Court.
The dominance of the preservation of the deer over the agricultural and fuel
requirements of the sparse local population led to some concessions by the
Crown. These concessions - which include the right to turn out stock into the
open Forest, the gathering of fuel-wood, the digging of clay - are now enshrined
as the "Rights of Common".
These Rights attach to certain plots of domestic and agricultural land both
within the boundaries of the Forest, and close by.
The ponies, cattle and pigs turned out into the open forest are owned by the
"Commoners", and are there by the Rights whose foundations extend back 900 years
to William's time.
The Commoner has also shaped the Forest. The open forest is dominated by the
activities of his stock, and by the deer. These herbivores have been called the
"architects of the Forest". The flora is defined by what they will, or will not
eat.
Above their heads is the hand of man - the Inclosures (fenced woodland) - either
still enclosed to keep stock out to prevent damage to timber, or mature
plantations "thrown open" for the Commoners' animals to enter.
At its greatest extent in the 12th & 13th centuries, 3% of the acreage of
England was used for the keeping of deer in Forests; the legal boundaries of
Forest Law extended beyond this physical Forest and up to one third of England
was subject to Forest Law. The demands of cultivation and other pressures have
led to the extinguishing of nearly all the Royal Forests.
Why has the New Forest survived? In a simple practical sense, it has survived
because the soils are impoverished.
There is evidence of cultivation within the area in the Bronze Age (field
enclosures) but the clearing of woods in that era and the subsequent leaching of
nutrients impoverished the poor soils.
It was an infertile "waste" when William brought it under Forest Law
("afforested" it); it is still an infertile waste.
It will support grazing herbivores and the cultivation of timber (which in the
17th, 18th & 19th centuries was for shipbuilding). It has supported little else,
but this waste has served the requirements of the Crown.
Its preservation now is an - at times - uneasy balance of commercial forestry,
its ecological status as a unique environment and the Rights of the Commoners
(guarded by the Verderers). This balance of the frequently divergent interests
of the Commoners and the Crown is not new. Historically, the Crown could only
exploit the Forest at the expense of the Commoners; on the other hand, the
exercising of Rights by the Commoners reduced the ability of the Crown to expand
timber production and maintain the deer.
Remarkably, the New Forest has survived many challenges over 900 years. These
pages offer an overview of its history, ancient practices and beauty.
"But in its wild scenery lies its greatest charm...... Nowhere, in extent at
least, spread such stretches of heath and moor, golden in the spring with the
blaze of furze, and in the autumn purple with heather, and bronzed with the
fading fern. Nowhere in England rise such oak-woods, their boughs rimed with the
frostwork of lichens, and dark beech-groves with their floor of red brown
leaves, on which the branches weave their own warp and woof of light and shade."
John Wise, 1895 - The New Forest. Its History and Its Scenery
We live in a great area with every attraction only a short drive away, we are
situated only a few miles from the cliff top at Barton-On-Sea and Milford-On-Sea
where you can stroll along the cliff top or on the beaches, there is a
marvellous walk from Milford-On-Sea cliff top out to Hurst castle along the
shingle bank with beautiful views out to the Isle Of Wight and the Needles, this
certainly blows the cobwebs away or you can take a 15 minute drive to the
nearest point of The New Forest for a pleasant walk where you can see the New
Forest ponies roaming sometimes accompanied by cattle, donkeys and even pigs not
forgetting the natural beauty of the forest itself.
For those of you who may just want to shop Bournemouth and Southampton are the
nearest big shopping centres both within a half hour drive, also Lymington our
small local town whose market on Saturdays is always well attended also has its
own attractions with the quay and marina at the bottom end, good shops in the
high street where you will also find many good eateries.
We look forward to receiving you as our guests and you can be sure that your
stay will be comfortable, enjoyable and second to none.
- Yachting, horse riding, beaches and golf all within easy reach.
- Delightful separate dining room serving an excellent English or Continental breakfast.
- Relax, enjoy the friendly hospitality and have a memorable stay with Linda and Mike.
- Terms per person per night b&b from £45 inc VAT.
- Non-Smoking house with good parking.
- AA rated 4 Diamonds and Welcome Host
OUR TARIFFS
There are no hidden extras:
* Bed Linen/towels supplied at no extra cost
* Electricity/gas supplied at no extra cost
* Free laundry service available on request
Lets are generally from 4pm on day of arrival to 10am on day of departure.
The Kingfisher Suite - £65.00 per night
Superior Double with King-size bed with Sumptuous Feather Mattress topper for
extra Comfort.
The Chaffinch Suite - £65.00 per night
Standard Double Room with Twin beds, although can be adapted to a Super-king if
required.
Single night stay supplement may apply - please telephone first.
We are approximately one mile from the New Forest, and there are many local pubs
and restaurants you can visit as well as the numerous attractions. See Here!
We are sorry but we cannot cater for children under 12 and unfortunately we
cannot accommodate pets.
Tariff from £65 per night two people sharing.
Single Occupancy welcome from £45.00 a night.
Please telephone for details.
WHERE TO FIND US
Tel: 01 425 616 425
bealwoodlands@yahoo.co.uk
Linda and Mike
Woodlands Lodge
Ashley Lane
Ashley
New Milton
Hampshire
BH25 5AQ
Telephone: 01 425 616 425
Email: bealwoodlands@yahoo.co.uk
Outside UK: +44 1 425 616 425
HOW TO FIND US
From the M27 take Junction one Lyndhurst/New Forest and follow signs for Brockenhurst/Lymington, through Brockenhurst and over level crossings. Continue on this road A337 until roundabout, go straight across the roundabout and take the first turning on your right before the Tollhouse Pub. Continue for approximately three miles until you see a mini roundabout, by the Three Bells Pub, go straight on and you are now in Ashley Lane. Continue for approximately half a mile down the hill where the road takes a sharp bend to the left and you should see some black and white chevrons on the right hand side of the road, Woodlands is immediately on you right between the chevrons immediately after the bridge...
