New Forest

"Magical" is how my sister chose to describe the New Forest following her evening bike ride with the wild ponies. With a two year old I didn’t really get to appreciate the same level of serenity but I did appreciate the vast amount there is to do to keep kids of all ages entertained. We could have spent a lot more than a week there. Here’s some of the things we got up to while we were away: - Watching the ponies. You can see them all over as you drive through the area, sometimes in fact they are there in the middle of the road holding up the traffic! - Cycling. Take your bikes or hire some when you get there. - Paulton’s Park including Peppa Pig World. Just on the outskirts of the New Forest but a must-do for the little ones. Peppa Pig wasn’t the best bit to be honest (my daughter might disagree); it was the many sand pits, water fountains and playgrounds dotted around for the kids to charge through. - Barton-On-Sea. Numerous pebble beaches stretching for ages, plenty of room for all. Chilling watching the kids build castles and throw pebbles into the water. - Keyhaven. Crabbing! I think the adults got into this more than the kids, it got a bit competitive and a lot of crabs were caught – to be released later of course. This area was also popular with kite surfers and kayakers. - Bournemouth. About a 40-minute drive to a huge soft sand beach, amusement arcades, ice cream and an aquarium. - Moors Valley Country Park. For the Gruffalo Trail, steam trains and tree top adventures. We had a lovely cottage with gardens, not huge, but enough for hiding, running and playing. I would say our best moments were created there, using our imagination as we all went on a ‘bear hunt’. Singing, exploring, searching for a cuddly teddy bear who had been sneakily placed in the branches of a tree and when he was discovered we all ran for our lives, screeching with mock terror and giggling at the silliness of it all. As a parent, there’s nothing more magical than the sound of your child laughing, ponies don’t even come close.