We LOVE the New forest. It is a beautiful national park, with so many things to see and do. Where else could you go where horses, donkeys and cattle roam freely as though they own the place, forcing you to stop your car because they feel like standing in the middle of the road?!
If you love camping, it’s ideal. However, for non-campers, like us, there are a multitude of hotels and B & B’s to suit all budgets and tastes. As a family of five, plus one grandma, we always stay in a holiday park called Shorefields. Located just on the edge of the New Forest at Milford on Sea, it makes for the perfect base to take in both the surrounding countryside and the coast.
The advantage that Shorefields has also always given us is the space, in terms of accommodation. A four bedroomed lodge suits our needs perfectly. The indoor pool and spa is perfect for those rainy days and the games arcade and family entertainment provides something for everyone in the evenings.
On this trip we visited Bealieu Motor museum, Paulton’s Theme Park (home of Peppa Pig World!) and Mudeford Quay (the perfect place to go crabbing). But one thing we all particularly enjoyed was a day of bushcraft on site. It was a course run by Sunrise Bushcraft and involved learning about how to make a shelter, fire making and forest cooking. The morning’s efforts at making a shelter, I think you’ll agree, were pretty impressive:
During the course of the afternoon, we learned all about the different ways that you can start a spark to light your fire. There was flint against metal:
Which was really difficult, as was trying to rub two sticks together. An easier option was the Swedish fire steels:
And a clever trick using a battery and wire wool:
Then we made our own fires and were rewarded with the opportunity to toast some gluten free bread, whilst everybody else made some chocolate bread of their own:
It was a great way to spend the day, which was enjoyed by all ages; five year olds to Grandads alike. It was a new experience for us to add to our New Forest collection and one that I would definitely recommend, if you ever get the opportunity.
That’s sounds brilliant fun. Satisfying being able to start your own fire as well. #sharewithme
We were a bit rubbish at the fire bit. Don’t get stuck on a dessert island with me, that’s for sure!
Love the Back To Nature idea! Every now and then, we need to get away from all those iPads, cellphones, video games, youtubes, etc., that seem to be everywhere.
We certainly did that because there was no mobile or wifi signal anywhere down there!
This looks like a great trip. The New Forest is such a beautiful area to visit. We were down there last week for a holiday and visited Beaulieu as well!.x #countrykids
I love Beaulieu. Where did you stay?
We were staying down near chichester but made the drive over for the day. Lovely place.xx
Rubbing sticks together is such a hard way to start a fire but fun to try! I love the camp, that looks really good. Our dens are never so professional looking. I can see why you all enjoyed this day, there is something lovely about a back to nature fire building session. Thank you for sharing on Country Kids.
No prob. It’s a great idea for something different to do on holiday.
It looks like you had a fantastic time! What an adventure! x
Looks and sounds like you had an excellent time! Congrats on the fire, very impressive. Can’t wait for my two to be old enough to do all this good stuff!!
Wow it does look fantastic. Glad you had such a great time. Love all the fun photos too. The kids look happy! I bet you made a lot of great memories! Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. It’s my first week back in the UK and my one year blog birthday so it’s very busy busy in the LTM household. I am hosting giveaways everyday this week so a bit behind on commenting. So sorry. #sharewithme