Shopping and Local Towns
Shopping locally for essentials
Danestream Farm Shop is our favourite food shop and is also very close by. Fantastic butchery, fresh bread and vegetables and much other locally sourced produce. They may be able to source fresh fish for you if you order ahead: phone number 01425 618885. You can drive there in three minutes. Directions:
- Left out of the drive, and drive ~ 1 mile to end of the road.
- Right at the T-junction (take care)
- Continue for half a mile or so – the farm shop is on the right
Nearest village shops are in Sway which has a good butcher’s shop, a deli, a corner shop, a decent pub and – surprisingly – trains to London, but little else. Sway is hearty walk from the cottage or a short drive. For comprehensive local shopping, New Milton is nearest (everything you need, no frills) but we prefer …
Ringwood
… which has a all the essentials and pleasant, market town feel. It is about 15 minutes drive, and has a Waitrose, many other food shops (bakers, butchers, fishmongers etc) several boutiques and a very friendly jeweller – Allum and Sidaway – if you’re feeling romantic.
Other local towns and villages
Burley
5 minutes drive away. A tourist trap with souvenir shops, tea rooms, pubs, wagon rides in summer, horses, pigs and cattle in the streets sometimes, mountain bike hire and a cider press. If you like that kind of thing, then it is way more convenient as a tourist stop than…
Lyndhurst.
Summer traffic in Lyndhurst is heavy: we avoid it. But outside busy periods, it is a quaint little market town with shopping including souvenirs. At the bottom end of the High Street, you can buy a Maserati, sweets sold from jars, or a nice bit of halibut. Not many towns can say that.
Brockenhurst
10 minutes away. Probably the best known village in the Forest. Busy village centre has most things including bike hire. Surrounded by open forest and you often find ponies in town. The Pig restaurant is nearby. Trains to London.
Lymington
20 minutes away. Yachting haven. Pretty High Street with selection of shopping, Saturday market, quayside area with pubs and restaurants; and, across the river, ferries to the Isle of Wight
Milford-on-Sea
About 20 minutes drive – attractive village near Lymington. Bracing walks facing the Isle of White and some of our favourite restaurants.
Christchurch
Further along the coast towards Bournemouth but less than 30 minutes away unless traffic is at its worst (can be bad in summer). Decent sized market town with some pretty areas, selection of restaurants, paint your pot for the children and the added benefits of an ancient Abbey and ferry trips to Hengistbury Head, Mudeford Quay for crabbing, the beach huts, and the sandy beach.
Salisbury
Nearly an hour’s drive, but good market at weekends and some good boutiques. Stonehenge is nearby.
