Di's Days Out

On a beautifully sunny day in late April we enjoyed a lovely day out in the lush surroundings of the New Forest.

Following lunch we took a scenic drive through the area spotting pretty thatched roof houses and some of the 5,000 forest ponies for which the area is so well known. It is also renowned as the resting place of the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Homes. His grave is tucked into a corner of the churchyard at All Saints in Minstead.

Our lovely and very informative guide Claire, told us that the author bought a home nearby while researching one of his novels. His book ‘The White Company’ is set in the area.

We also learned that William the Conqueror created the forest some 1,000 years ago as his ‘new hunting forest’ which is how the name evolved. Other interesting facts about the New Forest include - it is home to various free roaming animals from pigs and goats to donkeys plus 75% of the world’s dragonflies and there is at least one Yew tree that’s over 1000 years old.

Diana Lewington