15 Mar New Forest National Trust Walk
If you love a good walk with a great country pub at the end, then this one from @newforestwalkswithmydog should fit the bill with its unspoilt forest and common land making for brilliant views.
The Half Moon Common National Trust walk takes about 80 minutes and sounds a bit like a New Forest safari with cows, deer and pigs along the way. Because of the animals it’s advisable to keep your dog on a lead, or in close recall.
There’s a small, free car park on BlackHill Road – SO51 6AQ is the nearest postcode.
Follow the line of Foxbury Plantation which has open land and small streams – take your wellies!
Keep going until you hit the trees, that path will loop you back to the beginning.
The Rockingham Arms at Canada near West Wellow is a dog-friendly country pub just a few minutes away. Their back garden leads straight onto Canada Common, a National Heritage area.
It’s a warm, cosy country pub with a team who are passionate about home-cooked food, sourced from local suppliers.
Starters include the likes of salmon gravlax, wasabi crème fraîche, capers, compressed cucumber, dill and croutes and Camembert to share with warm breads, onion chutney and dressed peppery watercress.
The spring mains menu includes: Asian chicken stir-fry chicken with tenderstem broccoli, peppers, pak choi and red onion in a black bean sauce; as well as seared sea bass fillet on a bed of seafood linguine, tiger king prawns, clams and samphire in a dill and shallot cream sauce; or pie of the day for four to share with veg and a sharing jug of gravy.
Their Sunday roasts are amazing! Sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding, loin of Wiltshire pork with apple sauce, stuffing and crackling or ring the changes with cod, tapenade potatoes and lobster cream. Topped off with apple and blueberry crumble or warm Bakewell tart. What can be better?
There are also plenty of gluten and dairy-free options.