The nation's forests are for all to enjoy
This page offers information to help you plan a stress-free visit to the New Forest.
Essentials
Toilets
We have 18 public toilets, with three in each of these locations: Anderwood, Bolderwood, Blackwater, Whitefield Moor, Wilverley Inclosure and the Reptile Centre. Please note that the Reptile centre is open seasonally, during bank and school holidays. View the parking in the New Forest page to see the toilets on a map.
Each toilet block has one toilet with accessibility features including wider doorways with the ability to enter and turn with a wheel chair, correct height seat, hand/grab rails with low level toilets and accessible hand wash facilities including low level sinks, hand soap and hygiene bins. The door width is 89cm and not power assisted. No key is required and the doors are lockable from the inside.
In the car parks with toilet blocks, accessible parking bays are allocated nearest to these and we provide a two bays minimum. In some cases there is a gentle slope leading to the toilet blocks.
As there is no power at these locations, lighting and emergency cords are not available.
Changing Places
We don’t have Changing Places facilities in our car parks.
Please check The New Forest District Council website for information about the nearest Changing Places facilities.
Needing help
Please note that our car parks and toilets are not manned.
Arriving at the forest
We have 129 car parks located throughout the New Forest. Our car parks comprise of gravel surfaces with unmarked spaces, except for accessible bays.
The A35 and A337 roads both cross the New Forest. Larger villages in the New Forest which are popular with visitors include Burley, Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst and nearby towns located outside of the Forest include Lymington and New Milton.
Railway stations in and around the New Forest include Ashurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington, New Milton and Sway.
Car parking
We have 22 dedicated accessible parking bays in the New Forest, located across nine car parks which include; Anderwood, Bolderwood, Burley, Hatchet Pond, Knightwood Oak, Linford Bottom, Reptile Centre, Whitefield Moor and Wilverley Plain. Visit the parking in the New Forest page to see accessible bays on the map.
Parking charges apply in the New Forest.
Blue Badge parking allows our visitors, either passenger or driver, to park close to their destination in the designated spaces provided. Parking charges apply to all vehicles, including blue badge holders. Parking income is invested by Forestry England to manage the land and facilities within the New Forest.
Visitor centres
We have a visitor information unit located at Bolderwood which is open seasonally during bank and school holidays.
We can also recommend a visit to the New Forest Heritage Centre, in Lyndhurst.
Getting out into the forest
There are many trails through the ancient woodlands, wetlands and heathlands of the New Forest that can be enjoyed for a variety of visitors.
Try the Knightwood Oak trail or the Blackwater Arboretum trail for a short stroll, suitable for mobility scooters, manual wheelchairs and pushchairs.
We don’t have all-terrain scooter hire at our car parks across the New Forest, but they are available at Moors Valley Country Park and Forest.
Seating and shelter
We have an accessible picnic area at Bolderwood located at the rear of the car park.
There are no shelters located in the New Forest but there are plenty of tearooms and cafes that can be found in and around the local towns and villages, including Burley, Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst and Lymington. More information on the wider area can be found on the New Forest tourism website