I’ve been walking in forests.
One of the more forest-y bits of the New Forest that I saw.
As I finished my stay in St Albans, I also finished up my pet sitting for the summer.
I only had 1 week left of my trip and I was sad to be leaving. I rang up my family in Dorset and asked if they’d be willing to have me stay a few days before I headed to my final stop, Brighton.
I was delighted to be able to visit them again. We had been in regular contact since I booked my trip and on top of them letting me stay and helping me celebrate my birthday earlier in the summer it was also really comforting to know that I had people on the same side of the Atlantic as me in case of emergency. And give suggestions of things I might enjoy seeing or doing in England.
I’m very lucky that these two became part of my family.
One thing they suggested that I hadn’t done when I was previously in the area was visit the New Forest. I spend a lot of time in the US walking in forests and I love a thing called ‘new’ that’s actually very old. (I once went white water rafting on the New River, which is one of the 5 oldest rivers in the world.) The New Forest was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror almost a thousand years ago.
So today in the counties of Hampshire and Wiltshire, you can go see ancient forests and pastures and heathlands and also ponies!
New Forest Ponies!
We spent a couple of hours walking on the heathlands, exploring the nearby village of Burley and having a classic tea with scones and clotted cream outdoors at Old Farmhouse Restaurant & Tea Rooms. They even had gluten-free scones! And they were delicious.
I found a cute spot for a photo in the village of Burley where ponies and cows walk along the road by the shops.
Saying thank you is one of my favorite habits of mine. I always want people to know when I appreciate them and their actions. I think sincere gratitude can turn someone’s day around. And I think special acts of kindness deserve special acts of thankfulness.
Saying goodbye can be difficult and sad sometimes, but I find that when I include gratitude it can make it a little easier. So, thanks for reading these travel posts even if I’m not quite done yet!
Follow along if you like and remember — Even tiny adventures matter.