July 2026 – My birthday month
This year, my birthday fell on a Wednesday. Not exactly the most convenient day to make plans, and for a moment I thought maybe we should just leave the celebrations for the weekend.
Instead, my husband and I decided to take the day off. And I’m so glad we did. The roads were quieter, the trails were almost empty, and honestly, some quality time together is all I really look forward to on birthdays.
For this birthday, we planned a very simple New Forest route: Brockenhurst → Blackwater Arboretum → Milford on Sea.
A good brunch, an easy forest walk, ponies along the way and a few hours by the sea before driving home.
Start with brunch in Brockenhurst
Our first stop was Brockenhurst, one of the villages right in the heart of the New Forest.
We parked the car here and started the birthday with brunch at The Paddle in the Forest. I had their Turkish eggs, and my husband had avocado toast with beetroot hummus. Both were amazing, but if I had to go back for one thing, I would definitely order the Turkish eggs again – easily a 10/10.
After brunch, we spent around 20–30 minutes strolling through the village. Everything felt incredibly calm, maybe because it was Wednesday. There were hardly any crowds, and it was nice being able to wander around without rushing for the next stop.
Note: There are public toilets near the car park, and they were free and clean when we visited.
Walk the Tall Trees Trail at Blackwater Arboretum
From Brockenhurst, we drove to Blackwater Arboretum, where there is plenty of parking. There was also a little van serving coffee and ice cream when we visited, which is always useful before or after a walk.
We did the Tall Trees Trail and walked through Blackwater Arboretum, which has around 100 varieties of trees from different parts of the world.
The walk itself isn’t difficult. Most of the surface is flat and gravel, so you don’t need to prepare for a serious hike. I would still recommend wearing proper walking or hiking shoes, especially if you plan to spend a couple of hours wandering around. And definitely carry water.
This was probably my favourite part of the New Forest itself. The trail was so quiet that at times it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We could stop for pictures, sit for a while and explore without feeling like we had a trail to “complete”.
Take the scenic route towards Milford on Sea
Once we finished the walk, it was time for the beach.
Instead of simply driving straight to Milford on Sea, we headed back towards Brockenhurst via Rhinefield Road and passed Whitefield Moor, a large open area where we saw lots of ponies.
The road was completely empty when we stopped for a couple of minutes to take some pictures, and this part of the drive ended up being an experience in itself.
We then continued via Meerut Road, where we saw even more ponies and donkeys wandering around and crossing the road.
If you’re driving through the New Forest, this is one part I wouldn’t rush. Drive slowly, keep an eye out for the animals and enjoy the route rather than treating it as simply getting from one stop to another.
End the birthday by the sea
Our final stop was Milford on Sea.
After parking near the seafront, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the beach, sitting in the sun and enjoying the views.
We also stopped at The Lighthouse for food. We tried their chilli chicken, chips and the London Cooler mocktail, and everything was delicious.
There wasn’t really anything else on the agenda after that, which was exactly the point. We walked along the beach, found somewhere to sit, soaked up the sun and stayed until it was time to head home.
Our New Forest day trip route
If you want to recreate the day, the route was simply:
Brockenhurst → Blackwater Arboretum → Whitefield Moor → Meerut Road → Milford on Sea
You could easily add more villages, attractions or another walking trail, but I don’t think you need to. For a one-day trip, this gave us a little bit of everything the New Forest is known for without spending the entire day rushing between places.
We had brunch in a village, walked among some seriously impressive trees, saw ponies and donkeys along the drive and finished the day by the sea.
From Milford on Sea, the drive home took us around an hour and a half.
A birthday to remember – Just the two of us spending an ordinary weekday somewhere quiet and peaceful.
