GETAWAY
A NEW FOREST AMBLE
Christchurch and its surrounds make a great base for a relaxed short break, Colin Burdett discovers
Long-time caravanner Colin Burdett loves to explore in the UK and further afield
A
Christchurch Quay hosts a thriving sailing community
B
New Forest Airfields Memorial commemorates those who fell in WWII
C
Lymington’s charming high street
D
The harbour at Lymington
FOR A LONG weekend away, we wanted to return to the New Forest in Hampshire, but stay somewhere we hadn’t been before.
We finally settled on the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Centenary site near Bransgore, a small village four or five miles to the north-east of Christchurch. Amazingly for a British summer, the sun actually shone for the whole of our stay!
Once we had set up (and dusted down the barbecue), we went off to explore the local area and stock up for the next few days. We discovered a large supermarket on the outskirts of Christchurch and made our purchases before heading back to the van to soak up the pleasant late-afternoon sunshine.
This is quite a large site, but has been thoughtfully split up into several different sections, with names such as Spitfire, Mosquito and Mustang – very apt, as the site is in the middle of a former WWII airfield.
Holmsley Airfield opened in September 1942, and during the war it was used by the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Air Force. The airfield closed in October 1946, but parts of the original runways can still be seen in the surrounding fields.
The imposing New Forest Airfields Memorial is a short walk from the site. It was dedicated on 16 August 2002, to commemorate the many sacrifices made in the New Forest during WWII.