BLOG: The Shorefield Country Park, Hampshire

Summer is coming and thoughts of what to do and where to go in the school holidays are never far from the forefront of every parent’s mind.  For some, the thought of schlepping through the airport at some ungodly hour with thousands of other families and their equally ratty, whiny kids is too much to bear, writes Graham McKenzie.

Well if it is, then there are some very enjoyable and relatively low cost alternatives on our doorstep. For me, it was more the front porch than the doorstep as I was invited to stay a few days in Shorefield Country Park at the southern tip of the New Forest national park and very, very close to Milford on Sea.

The seaside village was made famous last New Year’s Eve when revellers in a local restaurant had to be rescued by the fire brigade as wind-blown shingle blocked the door on the ground floor. They emerged six hours later giggling. Nothing of that sort to fear here …Shorefield is far enough away and the wind has never been and is unlikely to ever be as strong again. This is just as well because the access to the sea from the park is excellent and brings with it all the summer treats one would expect when sharing it with the family.

Shorefield is a park made up of many semi-permanent mobile homes that are warm, functional and very clean. We stayed in a "SFC SELECTXTRA 3 MF (Cranborne Premier) 3 Bedroom/6 berth with veranda, 1 double & 2 twin". The sleeping accommodation is, if I’m honest,  quite tight and looks as if has been designed by a very clever computer program somewhere in Scandinavia. If I used the same program on my modest pile in West Sussex I think I could be opening a 50 bedroom boutique hotel with easy access to rabbit warrens. But hey, you only sleep there and the rest of the Cranborne Premier was more than adequate including modern kitchen, telly and, soon to be free across the park, the modern equivalent of a Beano summer special – Wi Fi.

The park itself has lots of facilities on site to amuse even the grumpiest of teenagers with a swimming pool, games room, bar, restaurant, nightly entertainment and a rather nice spa which I took full advantage of. The real gem of the place, though, is the location and its proximity to a host of local attractions.

I have mentioned the big one – the sea – but in addition you have Paultons Park (home to the infamous Peppa Pig), Beaulieu Motor Museum and a key training base for the wartime SOE , Bucklers Hard Maritime Museum where Nelson’s fleet was built. The more natural pursuits of the New Forest are also close to hand.  

For this final activity we were provided with electric bikes by newforestcyclehire.co.uk which was a first for me.  Excellent !!!  You peddle like normal but when you come to an incline just press a button and the motor kick in to give you a boost, a bit more slope and you click to the next level and when facing the north face of the Hampshire Eiger, press again.

In summary there is plenty to do in the area and on site. Just look at the map to see what is nearby … Bournemouth, Boscombe, Isle of Wight, golf courses … and not just for the summer. We went in the early days of March and had a very nice time. Worth considering, plus they are trade friendly.

Stay : www.shorefield.co.uk

Ride: www.newforestcyclehire.co.uk

Visit: www.beaulieu.co.uk