Bank Holiday: Things To Do In The New Forest & Hampshire

If you’re heading to the New Forest and wider Hampshire area for the May bank holiday Monday, you’ve got a good mix of outdoor adventures, family attractions, food-and-pub stops, gardens in full bloom, and local events.

Classic New Forest day out

Start with a scenic wander through New Forest National Park — May is one of the best times to visit because the foals, calves, wild ponies, bluebells, and fresh greenery are all out. Bolderwood and Rhinefield are especially good for walks and wildlife spotting.

A great stop for deer spotting and woodland trails:

Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary

Great pubs en-route!:

– The Turfcutters Arms, East Boldre

– Foresters Arms

– Monkey Brewhouse

For families with kids

These are usually very busy over bank holiday weekends, so booking ahead helps:

– Paultons Park Home of Peppa Pig World — one of the UK’s best family theme parks

– Longdown Activity Farm — animal feeding, tractor rides, baby animals

– New Forest Wildlife Park — otters, wolves, owls and woodland trails

Outdoor adventure or active days

If the weather’s decent, this is one of the best times of year for it:

– New Forest Activities — kayaking, canoeing, archery, bushcraft

– Insight Activities (New Forest) — paddleboarding, water sports, raft building

– New Forest Outdoor Centre — group outdoor sessions and woodland activities

– Woodmill Outdoor Centre — watersports near Southampton

Gardens & scenic places

Good options include:

– Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway

– Beaulieu

The New Forest is brilliant over bank holiday weekends for dog-friendly pubs, woodland walks and events.

A standout event nearby is:

– Dogstival — dog shows, live music, food stalls and activities for owners and dogs.

Good rainy-day backups

If the weather turns:

– Beaulieu National Motor Museum

– Winchester city day trip

– Southampton shopping + restaurants

– Brewery tours around Lymington and Ringwood