A few free days for the whole family allowed us to jump in the car and head down to the New Forest and the local coastal area for a bit of R&R. Last year we went for a night to Beaulieu for a night to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary and wanted to go back and take the boys to see the horses, wildlife and beaches.
We had amazing weather the whole week, with blue skies and the hottest day of the year!
Every day we went to a different place, but cover from Lepe Country Park, to Mudeford, to Boscombe to Fordingbridge. The New Forest is one of my favourite places to visit in the UK.
Mudeford Beach
Mudeford Harbour
Boscombe Beach
With quite a lot of the day spent on the beach we played rugby, noughts and crosses, and built sand castles and then watched as the tide came in and knocked them down.
Sandy Balls!
When my wife was little she stayed at Sandy Balls, and had mentioned it several times down the years. When we decided to head to The New Forest, we decided to see if we could stay there, and managed to book a two bedroom cabin set in the woodlands, with only a short walk to the River Avon. Obviously everything was updated since she last visited, with an indoor swimming pool, and a couple of new playgrounds, and restaurants.
The cabin was a good size for a family of four, with a large lounge, kitchen, a veranda, bbq, and outdoor table and benches.