Our 40+ homes are spread all across the New Forest, in picture postcard villages like Beaulieu, Brockenhurst and Burley…where the pace is slow and the ponies roam free… To the wilder north of the Forest, near Fordingbridge, down to the glorious coastal walks at Milford and Keyhaven, on to bustling Lymington with all its Georgian charm.

Chic house in top location for coastal exploring. Nearest beach is the tiny quay a minutes (slow) walk from the front door. Crabbing + boat trips v close. Cycling from here to Lymington is easy. Foodies are spoilt here. Long and wild beaches are a short walk. Dogs are welcome at a cost of 50 pounds per dog, per stay.

Walk (or push prams), along the very quiet road, for 15 mins to Hurst Spit and you’ll find a bridge for crabbing, a stream for paddling in, amazing views of the island. On the Western side fo the spit, at low tide there’s a perfect and small sandy beach. Don’t swim here tho’ please. On the Eastern side of the spit the water is gentle and it’s a pebbly beach. Kids too small to walk to the castle? Go by boat and take the short trip out to Hurst Castle. The boat leaves from Keyhaven. For older children the Hurst Castle walk is blustery and has great views of The Needles and the castle take some beating for hide and seek games. There’s a little cafe there too. There’s great kids crabbing down the lane on the Hurst Castle footbridge. For escapists, don’t miss a top reading spot: take your book and walk out to Hurst Castle. Find a spot out of the wind and boat watch and read in the peace and quiet out there. Further away the beach at Milford on Sea is a 25 minute walk and is lovely. If you’re going up there without kids then make sure you’ve got a visit to Verveine Fish market Restaurant booked in in advance – superb. Staying here you must walk in the Lymington - Keyhaven Nature Reserve. Keyhaven forms part of the coastal zone of the New Forest National Park and The Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes Reserve is a beautiful area of coastline characterised by mudflats and salt marshes and is of international importance. It’s renowned for the large numbers of breeding, feeding and roosting birds that it supports throughout the year. The area is grazed by New Forest ponies and cattle. Hurst Castle Spit and Museum is just the most lovely walk. Almost always blustery but the views are superb when you get there and the Castle has a little cafe. Another nice walk is from the house to Hurst Castle Spit and then walk along the spit towards Milford on Sea and have breakfast / lunch / tea / morning coffee or Ice creams at the ‘The Lighthouse Café / Bar at Marine...