Getting around The New Forest: with and without a car

Not yet assessed Our reading of the sources below, not an official rating.

Without a car

Getting here

By train

The National Park Authority says Brockenhurst station is in the heart of the Forest and about 90 minutes from London Waterloo. South Western Railway serves it from London, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth, and CrossCountry links the Forest with Reading, Oxford and Birmingham. A branch line runs from Brockenhurst to Lymington Town and Lymington Pier; there are also stations at Ashurst, Beaulieu Road, Sway and New Milton. ¹

New Forest National Park: sustainable travel (opens in new tab) · South Western Railway (opens in new tab)

By bus

The New Forest Breezer 86 (Bluestar) runs from Totton through Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst to Lymington, and morebus runs the Breezer 81 and 82 from Lymington towards Christchurch and Bournemouth, according to the National Park Authority. In summer the open-top New Forest Tour runs hop-on, hop-off routes; Beaulieu gives its 2026 season as 4 July to 13 September. ²

Bluestar (opens in new tab) · morebus (opens in new tab)

From the Isle of Wight

Wightlink's vehicle ferry, which also takes foot passengers, crosses between Yarmouth and Lymington. Lymington Pier station is beside the ferry terminal, with trains to Brockenhurst. ³

Wightlink (opens in new tab)

Once you are there

Bus and tour bus

The Breezer 86 links Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and Lymington. In summer the open-top New Forest Tour links Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst station, Beaulieu and Lymington on its Green Route, and takes bikes and well-behaved dogs.

Cycling

The National Park Authority asks cyclists to keep to the waymarked cycle routes and linking roads. Forestry England's car parks at Bolderwood and Blackwater are starting points for trails.

Driving

Animals have no road sense and wander onto the roads at any time; the National Park Authority asks drivers to pass them wide and slow, especially on dark autumn and winter evenings.

Stops near each area

From our area guides (The New Forest): the stations and stops listed for each base. See each area's Getting there page for more.

Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst

Brockenhurst: South Western Railway and CrossCountry. Main line to London Waterloo, Southampton and Bournemouth; branch to Lymington
Ashurst New Forest: South Western Railway. About 3 miles from Lyndhurst (Wikipedia); for the New Forest Wildlife Park
New Forest Breezer 86: Bluestar bus. Totton, Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and Lymington

Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst: getting there

Beaulieu and Lymington

Lymington Town and Lymington Pier: South Western Railway. Branch line from Brockenhurst; Lymington Pier is beside the Wightlink terminal
Beaulieu Road: South Western Railway. Station on the heath between Lyndhurst and Beaulieu
New Forest Tour (summer): Open-top bus. Green Route links Beaulieu, Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst station and Lymington

Beaulieu and Lymington: getting there

No schedules or fares are copied here: check the operator or Traveline for the day you travel. Taxis and ride-hailing apps operate in most towns, but we have no sourced coverage data for rural areas, so do not count on one at short notice.

With a car

By car

For Beaulieu, the attraction gives junction 2 of the M27 and then the brown tourist signs. Forestry England began charging for its New Forest car parks on Apr 20, 2026; park only in car parks, not on verges or in gateways, and expect ponies, cattle and donkeys on the roads. ⁴

General rules (driving on the left, licenses, roundabouts, speed limits in mph, parking, tolls, EV charging): Driving in Britain. Charge points: Zapmap (opens in new tab).

To and from other regions

Straight-line distance from our region centers, and the fastest train time that National Rail publishes on its destination pages (not a schedule; it may include a change). Where we found no figure we say so. The full table is on getting between regions.

Distance and fastest published train time from The New Forest to other regions
To or from	Straight line	Fastest train (National Rail)	Notes

Figures retrieved Oct 25, 2026 for the intercity data. Schedules change.

Stations in our data

32 stations and stops (The New Forest)

OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via Overpass API. Fetched 2026-11-03. This is the list behind the near-me page, not a complete list of stations.

Ashurst New Forest (rail), South Western Railway
Beaulieu Road (rail), South Western Railway
Bitterne (rail), South Western Railway
Brockenhurst (rail), South Western Railway
Bursledon (rail), South Western Railway
Chapel Road (station)
Dragonfly Halt (station)
Exbury Central (station)
Exbury North (station)
Hamble (rail), South Western Railway
Hinton Admiral (rail), South Western Railway
Hythe Pier (station)
Hythe Town (station)
Lymington Pier (rail), South Western Railway
Lymington Town (rail), South Western Railway
Millbrook (rail), South Western Railway
National Express Southampton Coach Station (bus)
Netley (rail), South Western Railway
New Milton (rail), South Western Railway
North (rail), National Motor Museum
Piccadilly (station)
Redbridge (rail), South Western Railway
Rio Grande Train (station)
Sholing (rail), South Western Railway
Somerford Sainsbury's (bus)
Southampton Central (rail), South Western Railway
St Denys (rail), South Western Railway
Sway (rail), South Western Railway
Swaythling (rail), South Western Railway
Totton (rail), South Western Railway
Woolston (rail), South Western Railway
Yarmouth Bus Station (bus)

Official links

New Forest National Park Authority (opens in new tab): Park information, the New Forest Code and seasonal guidance
Visit the New Forest (opens in new tab): Official tourism site for the New Forest
South Western Railway (opens in new tab): Trains to Brockenhurst and Lymington (times and fares)
Wightlink (opens in new tab): Lymington to Yarmouth ferry
Forestry England: New Forest (opens in new tab): Car parks, walking and cycling on the Crown lands

More on The New Forest: The New Forest guide · how to get there

Questions people ask

Can I get around The New Forest without a car?

We have not yet assessed getting around The New Forest. The official links below, and the region guide, are the place to start.

Do I need to check a driving zone in The New Forest?

We found no charging or low emission zone for The New Forest in the official pages we read. Check the council site before you drive in.