New Forest Tour
Encyclopedia
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, running two circular routes around Lyndhurst
Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Lyndhurst is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It is a popular tourist location with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The nearest city is Southampton located around nine miles to the north-east...
, Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst is a village situated in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. The New Forest is a national park and Brockenhurst is therefore surrounded by woodland that attracts thousands of visitors all year round. The nearby towns surrounding Brockenhurst are Lymington and Lyndhurst. Brockenhurst...
, Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
, Beaulieu
Beaulieu, Hampshire
Beaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.- History :...
and Exbury Gardens
Exbury Gardens
Exbury Gardens is a famous garden in Hampshire, England, which belongs to a branch of the Rothschild family. It is situated in the village of Exbury, just to the east of Beaulieu across the river from Bucklers Hard...
as well as going to Ringwood
Ringwood
Ringwood is a historic market town and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located on the River Avon, close to the New Forest and north of Bournemouth. It has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages....
, Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near to the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is south west of London, and south of the city of Salisbury. Fordingbridge is a...
, Cadnam
Cadnam
Cadnam is a village situated in Hampshire, England, within the boundaries of the New Forest National Park. The village has existed since the medieval period, when it was an important crossroads between Southampton and the towns of southeast Dorset.-Overview:Cadnam is part of the civil parish of...
and Ashurst
Ashurst, Hampshire
Ashurst is a village in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England, which together with Colbury hamlet makes the parish of Ashurst and Colbury. Ashurst is on the A35 road near the Southampton conurbation. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,011. The parish is on the...
. It is run by Bluestar
Bluestar (bus company)
Bluestar is a trading name of Solent Blue Line Ltd. Based in Eastleigh, the company operates bus routes in Hampshire that previously traded under the Solent Blue Line name. Blue Line was started by bus company Southern Vectis as it sought to expand from the Isle of Wight in 1987...
in partnership with Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council
New Forest (district)
New Forest is a local government district in Hampshire, England. It is named after the New Forest.It was created on 1 April 1974, and was a merger of the borough of Lymington, New Forest Rural District and part of Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District....
and the New Forest National Park Authority.
History
The tour was set up in 2004 by Solent Blue LineSolent Blue Line
Solent Blue Line Ltd formerly Musterphantom Ltd is a bus company which operates buses in Hampshire, England under the names Bluestar and Uni-link. The company was taken over along with its parent, Southern Vectis in 2005 by The Go-Ahead Group. From 25 February 2008, all previous Solent Blue Line...
and City Sightseeing
City Sightseeing
City Sightseeing is a global sightseeing bus brand, started by Ensignbus and the Spanish , which operates tour bus rides worldwide.Typically the tours consist of an open top double-decker bus. As the bus travels around the town or city, pre-recorded or live commentary is provided. City Sightseeing...
. The aim was to get traffic off the roads in and around the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
. When started, Solent Blue Line used a Bristol VR
Bristol VR
The Bristol VR was Bristol's rear-engined bus chassis, designed as a competitor to the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline.-Development:...
on a circular tour around the forest with a bike trailer.
In 2005, the tour continued in a similar form, except the route was reversed to today's anti-clockwise version.
In 2006 Solent Blue Line operated the tour with two nearly-new open-top buses from Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset is a bus company in England covering Poole, Bournemouth, East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. Its local headquarters is in Poole, but it is owned by the Go-Ahead Group, a major UK transport group....
. This was possible due to a £100,000 payment from Hampshire County Council. With an additional combined £30,000 funding every year for three years from the New Forest District Council
New Forest (district)
New Forest is a local government district in Hampshire, England. It is named after the New Forest.It was created on 1 April 1974, and was a merger of the borough of Lymington, New Forest Rural District and part of Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District....
and National Park Authority, the tour could run hourly instead of two hourly. The buses were Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
/East Lancs Myllennium
East Lancs Myllennium
The East Lancs Myllennium is a type of bus body built on MAN, Volvo, DAF/VDL and Alexander Dennis chassis. It was built as a single and double deck body, with double deck bodies having slightly different names .-Single decker:...
s, low floor and accessible to wheelchair users. They operated in full Wilts & Dorset livery and fleetnames, with New Forest Tour lettering. The Bike trailer was continued on the updated service, and buses served Exbury Gardens.
In 2007, the association with City Sightseeing
City Sightseeing
City Sightseeing is a global sightseeing bus brand, started by Ensignbus and the Spanish , which operates tour bus rides worldwide.Typically the tours consist of an open top double-decker bus. As the bus travels around the town or city, pre-recorded or live commentary is provided. City Sightseeing...
was dropped, the 2006 review concluding that marketing should be developed with core funding partners, in a way "appropriate for the New Forest destination". The same buses as used in 2006 were used on the tour this year, which by now Solent Blue Line had acquired from Wilts & Dorset, both being part of Go South Coast
Go South Coast
Go South Coast is a bus operator in the south of England, owned by the Go-Ahead Group. It was established in late 2005, after Go-Ahead purchased Southern Vectis and its subsidiary Solent Blue Line, and combined its operations with existing subsidiary Wilts & Dorset.It is based in Poole, at the...
. As part of the new marketing, the vehicles were painted in a new green livery with ponies on the side, essentially a green version of Southern Vectis
Southern Vectis
The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
' Island Breezers
Island Breezers
Island Breezers is the brand name given to the open top bus services run by Southern Vectis, which is the main bus operator on the Isle of Wight....
livery. The Tour's website was launched, and 60,000 leaflets were distributed to over 300 places. An official guide was also launched, given to passengers as they boarded the tour. The buses no longer towed trailers, carrying bicycles on the lower deck instead.
Prior to the 2008 service starting, Solent Blue Line re-named all of its services to run under the Bluestar
Bluestar (bus company)
Bluestar is a trading name of Solent Blue Line Ltd. Based in Eastleigh, the company operates bus routes in Hampshire that previously traded under the Solent Blue Line name. Blue Line was started by bus company Southern Vectis as it sought to expand from the Isle of Wight in 1987...
name. The New Forest Tour remained a separate brand, but details now appear on the Bluestar website. The tour ran from 24 May to 31 August, and the connections to the tour were withdrawn. A professionally recorded commentary was added to the service.
Continued operations
2008 was the final year of the three year funding commitment. In the 2008 review, Bluestar stated that revenue from ticket sales alone do not cover the cost of the current operation. To continue the tour in the same format into 2009 would require a subsidy.Therefore, a tender exercise is currently being worked on by Hampshire County Council to determine the level of subsidy required. This will allow for any operator to bid for the tender. A number of options are being considered, such as continuing as in 2008, only operating between Wednesdays and Sundays, only operating on the weekend and only using one bus.
The tour did return in 2009, between Saturday 20 June and Sunday 13 September 2009, running a similar service to 2008.
Route
Fairly recently, the route has been split into a red route covering the north of the forest and a green route covering the south of the forest.Green Route:
- LyndhurstLyndhurst, HampshireLyndhurst is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It is a popular tourist location with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The nearest city is Southampton located around nine miles to the north-east...
Main Car Park - Hollands Wood Camp Site
- BrockenhurstBrockenhurstBrockenhurst is a village situated in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. The New Forest is a national park and Brockenhurst is therefore surrounded by woodland that attracts thousands of visitors all year round. The nearby towns surrounding Brockenhurst are Lymington and Lyndhurst. Brockenhurst...
railway stationBrockenhurst railway stationBrockenhurst railway station is a railway station serving the village of Brockenhurst in Hampshire, England. It is located on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth... - LymingtonLymingtonLymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
High Street - LymingtonLymingtonLymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
Gosport Street - Lymington Pier Railway Station
- BeaulieuBeaulieu, HampshireBeaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.- History :...
Motor Museum - Beaulieu Village
- Exbury GardensExbury GardensExbury Gardens is a famous garden in Hampshire, England, which belongs to a branch of the Rothschild family. It is situated in the village of Exbury, just to the east of Beaulieu across the river from Bucklers Hard...
- Beaulieu Village
- Beaulieu Motor Museum
- Beaulieu Road Railway Station
- Denny Wood Camp Site
- Lyndhurst Main Car Park
Red Route:
- LyndhurstLyndhurst, HampshireLyndhurst is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It is a popular tourist location with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The nearest city is Southampton located around nine miles to the north-east...
Main Car Park - HolmsleyHolmsley railway stationHolmsley is a closed railway station in the county of Hampshire which served the small village of Holmsley.-History:The station was opened in 1847 as "Christchurch Road" by the Southampton and Dorchester Railway. Sited next to a bridge carrying the A35 road over the line, it was initially the...
Old Station Tea Rooms - BurleyBurley, HampshireBurley is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England, with a wealth of tea rooms, gift shops, art galleries and a pick-your-own farm.-The village:...
Queen's Head Pub - CrowCrow, HampshireCrow is a small village situated in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Ringwood, which lies approximately north-west from the village.-History:...
Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre - RingwoodRingwoodRingwood is a historic market town and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located on the River Avon, close to the New Forest and north of Bournemouth. It has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages....
Meeting House Lane - FordingbridgeFordingbridgeFordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near to the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is south west of London, and south of the city of Salisbury. Fordingbridge is a...
Southampton Road - Sandy Balls Holiday CentreSandy BallsSandy Balls is of woods and parkland in the New Forest, between Godshill and Fordingbridge, in Hampshire, UK. It is bounded on the western edge by the River Avon. Now run as a holiday centre, Sandy Balls is owned by the Westlake family.-Name:...
- BrookBrook, New Forest, HampshireBrook is a hamlet in the civil parish of Bramshaw, in Hampshire, England. It lies just inside the New Forest.The hamlet contains a mix of 18th and 19th century cottages, just south of the village of Bramshaw. There are two inns in Brook on opposite sides of the road - The Green Dragon and The Bell...
Green Dragon Inn - CadnamCadnamCadnam is a village situated in Hampshire, England, within the boundaries of the New Forest National Park. The village has existed since the medieval period, when it was an important crossroads between Southampton and the towns of southeast Dorset.-Overview:Cadnam is part of the civil parish of...
Stores - Bartley Village Hall
- AshurstAshurst, HampshireAshurst is a village in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England, which together with Colbury hamlet makes the parish of Ashurst and Colbury. Ashurst is on the A35 road near the Southampton conurbation. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,011. The parish is on the...
Railway Station - Lyndhurst Main Car Park