An English Constitution
It doesn’t get more English than the pub! I’m not much of a drinker these days; in fact, I haven’t been drunk in over 10 years. That said, when the sun is out and the warmer evenings are upon us, I’m quite partial to a cold pint at the end of a ride. With that in mind, it hit me just how many pubs I pass on my usual evening or early morning whip around the forest.
The other day, I was talking to someone about how many watering holes there are in the New Forest. She agreed and even said that when she was younger, her parents would take her to the New Forest to walk the dogs, and the way she would ask where they were going would be by which pub it was near. To most, this might sound odd that a drinking establishment might be a kid’s point of reference, but in the forest, these pubs are landmarks for the local area.
In total, there are 5 pubs that I pass on my usual jaunt round the forest, which is only 20 miles. There is The Three Lions, The Foresters Arms, The Royal oak (Fritham), The Red Shoot, and The Royal Oak (North Gorley). I’ll add that this doesn’t include the 3 that I pass on my high street before I get onto quieter country lanes. There is also the High Corner super close to the Red Shoot, which I don’t ride past, but with a slight detour in route, could easily pass by. That’s not a bad pub count for such a condensed area.
Every one of these pubs has good beer, decent grub, and great outdoor seating, making any one of these watering holes a perfect pit stop mid-ride if you are in the area. The Royal Oak at Fritham also has a pizza van on Thursday nights from 17:30 that has some splendid wood-fired pizzas, and they also have the well-known Purbeck ice cream if the sun is out and you need to cool down.
With plenty of places to camp around the forest, we often have a bit of food and a pint before delving off into the woods to find a spot to pitch up at. But if camping on the fly ain’t your thing, or you’re planning a bit of a trip through the New Forest, The Red Shoot has a pretty large campsite behind it and a small shop for supplies.
If you're looking for an ideal day or weekend getaway on the bike, and you are partial to a good pub, this southern part of the New Forest, with its endless hard-packed gravel trails, is a dreamland for you.