A walk in the New Forest; deer, thatched cottages and New Forest ponies …

01/02/2011 § Leave a comment

This week is print and pattern week, but I’m diversifying for today to show you some photos of the New Forest on the final Sunday of January …

Deer in a forest clearing

The cottages are just amazing …

A perfect thatched cottage in the sunshine

This one’s called Beehive Cottage in Lyndhurst and has a beehive in the garden. Even in January the heather in the garden was in bloom and the whole impression was simply enchanting.

Another beauty, surrounded by fields & forest

This one has a duck pond and amazing twirly topiary by the porch. Look how the beech hedge matches the mellow bricks and how the soft velvety old thatch melts into the woodland across the fields. Just perfect!

New Forest Pony in the sunshine

This super bay New Forest pony’s attention was drawn by some walkers across a broad clearing. See how his winter coat is standing out to keep him warm – and he obviously had ready-brek for breakfast! The New Forest pony is one of our native pony breeds, renowned for their hardiness and calm temperament. I really love Welsh cobs, but I’ll share some photographs of those on another day.

Back to our walk in the forest …

I love the patterns on the tree trunks, created by mosses and lichens. The deep cracks in the bark and the amazing texture are mini magical landscapes all of their own.