EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

LYNDHURST , its town centre skewered by an agonizing one-way system, isn't a particularly interesting place, though the brick parish church is worth a glance for its William Morris glass, a fresco by Lord Leighton and the grave of one Mrs Reginald Hargreaves, better known as Alice Liddell, Lewis Carroll's model for Alice. The town is of most interest to visitors for the New Forest Museum and Visitor Centre in the central car park off the High Street (daily: mid-July to mid-Sept 10am-6pm; rest of year 10am-5pm; tel 023/8028 2269, ), where you can buy bus passes and maps for cycling and riding. There's also a small museum here focusing on the forest, its history, wildlife and industries (same times as tourist office; £2.75). Nearby in Gosport Lane, AA Bike Hire (tel 023/8028 3349) rents bikes . For accommodation try the clean and airy Clarendon Villa , also in Gosport Lane (tel 023/8028 2803; £40-50), or Burwood Lodge , 27 Romsey Rd (tel 023/8028 2445; £50-60), a large old house a few minutes from the High Street. Le Café Parisien at 64 High St, sells snacks which you can eat in its small garden in summer; for larger meals , head for the nearby Crown Hotel .

BROCKENHURST , four miles to the south of Lyndhurst, is a useful centre for visitors without their own transport. There's a train station right in town and bikes for rent by the level-crossing at New Forest Cycle Experience (tel 01590/624204). The town also has some decent places to stay ; try the Cottage Hotel on Sway Road (tel 01590/622296; £70-90; closed Dec-Feb) or Cater's Cottage , Latchmoor (tel 01590/623225; £50-60), an above-average B&B on the southern outskirts of Brockenhurst. A short distance farther south in Sway, there's a quiet B&B at Little Purley Farm in Chapel Lane (tel 01590/682707; under £40), with views over to the Isle of Wight. The Thatched Cottage at 16 Brookley Rd can supply everything from three-tier cream teas to light lunches and fine dining.