The New Forest
owes its origins, of course, to the long-standing royal interest in hunting.

The New Forest’s subsequent role as a timber resource, mainly for shipbuilding, grew in
medieval times, while the grazing of forest ponies, cattle and pigs by
residents with “commoners’ rights” in the New Forest also has a long history.

The New Forest is 150sq miles of unexpected wilderness in the crowded south of
England.