We are currently in the New Forest and are surprised by how quiet it is. I am wondering if this has something to do with the introduction of parking charges in the forest. There have always been charges to park in the towns but the little car parks scattered across the forest have always been free to park in until this year.
We have been here many times at what would be considered a quieter time of year but this year it is really quiet in the Forest. For example, the Forest car park near where we are staying has always been really busy as it is the starting point for many forest walks. Yesterday, a beautiful sunny day with a lovely cooling breeze, perfect weather for walking in the forest, it was virtually empty.
The new parking charges are around £5 for a half day and £8 for the full day and I wonder if this has put people off. It would be interesting to see how this affects the general economy of the whole area as if people are no longer coming to the forest, they are also then no longer buying food and drink and other products from the local area. We were surprised on Wednesday to have no problem at all getting a table in our favourite cafe without having to queue for ages as it is very popular with walkers. However, when we arrived at peak lunch time, more than half the tables were empty.
Maybe this is just a different time of year. We usually come mid September and I assumed July would be busier but definitely not this year.
Thanks for the heads up, another area to avoid. I don't mind paying for parking, but a minimum of £5 is crazy.
There is also the danger of the being caught in the ANPR camera traps which are often
set up to generate invoices for £60 with no independent appeals process.
Can't speak for the New Forest, very long time since I spent any time visiting, but car parking charges certainly deter me in other areas! I used to do 'pop-in' visits to lots of places, maybe break a journey to somewhere else with a short walk and a quick photo opportunity, or take the dog for a decent 'comfort break' walk, may be just trip to somewhere for a quick look, in a sort of 'recce' kind of way, but damned if I'm paying £5 for an hour! As much principle of not liking to be robbed with unjust fees, than concern for the actual cost! - but the £5 here, £8 there, every day start adding up when on holiday, and if you like getting out and about and seeing things, then an extra £100/week on parking fees starts looking noticeable!
I'm afraid it's just another case of motorists seemingly being easy targets, but little thought given to the knock on effect. Ice cream vans, coffee vans etc. are going to disappear from little used car parks as no business to be had, local attractions are going to see less visitors, 'illegal' parking in inappropriate places will start happening - then in response the vivid yellow lines and signage start to deface once places of natural beauty - the Lake District is becoming unsightly as an example! Local to me in London, the huge and glorious Richmond Park introduced parking charges, it reduced visitor numbers hugely, the cafes lost trade, the horse riding and bike hire lost trade, the ice cream vans disappeared, the local streets around the park became the place to park. Lasted a year or so before being abandoned and going back to free!
It's all too common for national assets to become only accessible to those with the means to pay, when they should be accessible to all. Plenty of historical evidence of the negative effects of charging, when the museums and galleries in London started charging entrance fees, they killed their visitor numbers in a significant way, it only returned when entry charges abandoned! Many people visited for free in lunch breaks, or did a flying visit because they were passing, but were not going to pay for a short visit!
Sorry, I should have been clearer. You can get 1 hour for £1.50 but if you are coming on a day out to the forest you won’t be interested in just 1 hour. In the past we have enjoyed lots of walking in the forest but I have got some problems with my hips at the minute so we were planning to drive to different areas of the forest for shorter walks rather than longer walks directly from the site. Looks like doing this is going to add to the overall cost of the holiday.
Oh well, we still love the New Forest so we will just have to put up with parking charges. At least we won’t have any problems finding a parking space!
The downturn started the day the charges were introduced. Friends of ours are frequent visitors to the area and have forked out around £85 for a season ticket.
I'm led to believe that the parking charges are all made online with no ability to pay cash.
The mobile signals in the area are patchy to put it politely leading to more frustration.
I always avoid pay car parks whenever possible. If I can't find free on-street parking within reasonable walking distance I simply go elsewhere. It's a matter of principle as far as I am concerned, I pay more than enough to make my car go, so I'll be darned if I'm going to pay to stop it too!
Supermarkets are often a good bet as they usually offer two or three hours free parking, and there is often something I need when I stop for a break even if it is just a bottle or can of drink.
Small local traders often suffer when parking charges are introduced, so they should kick up a huge fuss. Town centres are also being killed off by parking charges, as if people can't park in the town for free they just go to out-of-town shopping centres where they usually can park for free.
The Forestry website says:
“A Forestry England membership is available for £96 per year (or £8 per month), covering unlimited parking.”
Not clear if that covers all the Forest England estate or just the New Forest.
Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 04/7/2026
The Forestry website says:
“A Forestry England membership is available for £96 per year (or £8 per month), covering unlimited parking.”
Not clear if that covers all the Forest England estate or just the New Forest.
Only of any use to local residents then. I can't see visitors being interested. I must admit when I last visited the New Forest I just pulled over at the side of the road and went for a walk from there. I didn't even know they had car parks.
There has been a trend in recent years to charge for parking in country parks, and to charge a minimum fee close to the all day fee.
These are places that used to be free or to have token parking fees.
We already own the country parks; they are local, county or national assets, however parking fees are now becoming prohibitive.
A family wishing to take their children out to the country faced with high parking fees may stay at home. They may afford to maintain a car but they can't afford to park it for healthy outdoor recreation.
The car parks that used to be full are now empty except for the expensive cars of the rich.
What were national assets have become perks for the well to do!
Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 04/7/2026
The Forestry website says:
“A Forestry England membership is available for £96 per year (or £8 per month), covering unlimited parking.”
Not clear if that covers all the Forest England estate or just the New Forest.
Only of any use to local residents then. I can't see visitors being interested.
Website says:
“National Membership lets your household explore Forestry England forests nationwide, with free parking included for one vehicle at a time. It’s an annual membership costing £96, with the option of spreading across monthly payments.”
** Nationwide.
There are many forests elsewhere in England, I guess some are also charging eg Lake District? (Forest & Land Scotland FLS up here.)
Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 04/7/2026
The Forestry website says:
“A Forestry England membership is available for £96 per year (or £8 per month), covering unlimited parking.”
Not clear if that covers all the Forest England estate or just the New Forest.
Only of any use to local residents then. I can't see visitors being interested.
Website says:
“National Membership lets your household explore Forestry England forests nationwide, with free parking included for one vehicle at a time. It’s an annual membership costing £96, with the option of spreading across monthly payments.”
** Nationwide.
There are many forests elsewhere in England, I guess some are also charging eg Lake District? (Forest & Land Scotland FLS up here.)
Car parks ownership in the Lake District is spread between NT, Forestry England and Lake District National Park Authority, at the very least, there will be other operators like local councils etc.! Of course one permit does not cover rival organisations, so you are looking at buying multiple permits to cover the region.
You are going to have to lay out big money to 'pre-pay' for permits to park to avoid paying per individual car-park-hour charges! NT - £101/annum, Forestry England - £96/annum, and the biggest robber of all LDNPA - a WHOPPING £450/annum! Of course some are car specific, so you can't use a different car say like a spouses car instead of the registered car!
I quite agree Monty, we are definitely cash-cows! I absolutely refuse to pay for parking if I can find a way round it, even if it means a bit of a walk. If there is absolutely nowhere nearby to park for free I go elsewhere and local traders lose out. Driving is expensive enough as it is without having t pay to stop. If I were a small business that lost money because of a newly imposed parking fee I would kick up merry hell!
I’m a member of the national trust, only for the car parks in Cornwall, it’s cheaper for me to pay the membership fee than pay the car parks for 2 weeks & if my daughter goes on a different holiday to me she takes my card
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: New Forest Parking Charges
via mobile 04/7/2026 at 10:53am
