Cottages in Fordingbridge

Come and stay in this lovely tranquil, historical market town on the banks of the River Avon where you have several lifetimes of nature walks, cycle trails and breathtaking scenery right on your doorstep! Fordingbridge is famed for its gorgeous seven arch medieval bridge over the river and its pleasant shops and gastropubs! Here a warm welcome awaits you alongside lovely local river walks and a plethora of exciting day trip options for making the most of your stay!

Fordingbridge offers you a truly remarkable location to get away from it all! With cottages in Fordingbridge and the nearby vicinity you will find yourself in the perfect spot for rural peace and quiet and great access to the New Forest. Find a perfect, charming, refurbished rustic cottage for a romantic getaway for two or a larger, fully equipped, stylish fully furnished cottage retreat for a family of four or family group of six or even up to 10 guests! You can even size up and find options for as many as 21 guests! Many of the quaint, charming cottages in the area have a lovely English country garden with a gorgeous view where you can sit and have a lovely cup of tea and relax.

Fordingbridge is perfectly located between the vast beauty of New Forest National Park and Moors Valley Country Park and Forest to the south east and Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the north west. There is so much to explore amidst the sublime natural beauty of this lovely locale. Here you can find vast, wild, unspoiled tracts of nature and enjoy serene walks along wooded paths, beside rivers and along lush heathland where beautiful pastoral scenes of ponies, sheep and cattle grazing unfold. There are miles of splendid walking and cycling routes and a number of top rated horseback riding tour operators in the area plus a host of interesting historical attractions.

If you are a keen history sleuth you can head out in any direction and you will find an incredible historical attraction. Fabled UNESCO World Heritage Site Stonehenge is just 40 minutes north and the lovely Victorian seaside resort town of Lymington is just 40 minutes to the south. Head into Cranborne Chase AONB for a blissful scenic drive where you can find the magnificent, ruined, turreted medieval Old Wardour Castle near Tisbury, the National Trust Hambledon Hill, an incredible iron age fort with sweeping views of the romantic countryside or the elegant Kingston Lacy or Breamore House stately homes. You also have the option of checking out the ruins at Rockbourne Roman Villa. In the New Forest you can visit the spectacular collection of vintage cars at The National Motor Museum near Bealieu!

At Rockbourne Roman Villa you will find a unique, ancient heritage site that is a wonderful showcase of how life was lived in ancient Roman times. Stroll about amongst the remains of a large villa complex that contains the ruins of bathhouses, farm buildings, workshops and living quarters! Admire incredibly well preserved mosaics and see incredible artefacts in the on site museum. There are fun Roman soldier dress up activities for kids and the site is just 8 minutes north of Fordingbridge.

Come and be an Elizabethan for the day at Breamore House that dates back to 1583! The superb grounds of the estate feature a beautiful forested section as well as a sprawling grass parkland. Take a guided tour of the house for incredible info on the hidden details and stories behind the rooms! Admire a formidable collection of paintings, furniture and tapestries inside the house alongside an impressive array of steam powered farm machines, tractors, barn machinery and historical tools in the museum section!

For a brilliant animal adventure, head to award winning Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park where you can enjoy encounters with beautiful working horses. Meet the herd at the morning stable feeding, find out how to harness a carthorse and learn all about Romany caravans and Gypsy horses! Enjoy horse drawn carriage rides, tractor trailer rides and magical mini pony carriage rides as well as farmyard experiences such as vegetable planting!

If you are in the mood for a magnificent local nature retreat, head to Blashford Lakes just 10 minutes south where you can explore a variety of wildlife rich habitats with plenty of opportunities for bird watching, especially Scandinavian birds that travel to England for the winter. There are 8km of rolled gravel paths to wander about around the shimmering lakes and woodland zones with plenty of bird hides. You can walk along the lovely Avon Valley Path to the village of Ibsley with its charming thatched roofs for a lovely pub lunch!

Come and admire the incredible birds of prey on display at this lovely New Forest Attraction. See owls, eagles, falcons, pythons, bearded dragons, a variety of snakes and tarantulas and have an opportunity to see the birds in action at the daily shows that happen in 3 mid afternoon time slots. Learn about bird rehabilitation and bird rescue and be amazed by the beauty and majesty of the creatures that you can find here!

Come and visit an elegant, 17th century country mansion with beautiful formal gardens and 8500 acres of parkland that houses the largest collection of paintings in Britain with works by Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian and Tintoretto! The interior of this Italian inspired stately home is absolutely magnificent and the opulence of the Spanish Room and Grand Saloon are a sight to behold. There is a stunning 5km woodland trail for cycling as well as a multitude of walking routes! Kingston Lacy is just 30 minutes south west of Fordingbridge.

In Fordingbridge you are ideally situated for a daytrip to one of the Seven Wonders of the World on the Salisbury Plain! Come and experience all the drama and mystery of the worlds best known prehistoric monument that dates back to the Bronze Age at Stonehenge! Be amazed by the sheer size of the megaliths and marvel at the sophistication of the plans and architectural design and the precise engineering feat that was undertaken to construct the structure!