Lyndhurst Photography: Camera and Coffee Adventures in the New Forest

It seems silly to ignore the car park that sits just a few yards away from the plethora of coffee shops and cafes that line Lyndhurst high street. It is 9:30 on a weekday and I am in Lyndhurst for a spot of Photography. While there are people around, there is a quiet peacefulness in the town that, on a weekend or holiday, would be humming with people.

I haven’t decided which café I’ll choose in a couple of hours. But before that, I have to earn my treat. I enter the town car park, and exit it just as quickly. Rejoining the seemingly endless train of cars that pass through this town as they navigate the New Forest. I trundle a few hundred more yards and rumble over the cattle grid to a gravel car park that sits just inside the New Forest National Park. 

There are many walks in and around Lyndhurst, but today, I amble my own path.

The yew tree atop Boltons Bench is almost silhouetted in the morning’s autumn sun. The resident horses and ponies move rhythmically. The motionless ones are hunched over, noses buried in the grass as they chomp.

Lyndhurst Photography – My Favourite shot of the day

Camera in hand, I weave between them, giving them the space my unreasonable horse paranoia demands. It is not a big hill, but big enough to half believe the local legend that the hill was formed from the corpse of a dragon that was slain nearby by Sir Maurice de Berkeley. The yew tree atop the hill is said to have been born from the yew bow the knight carried. As he died on the hill his bow took root and leaves the tree we see there today. It seems every tree in the New Forest has something of a history attached to it. The Knightwood Oak is another, for example.

Undeterred, I continue my climb, spotting a photo that makes the yew tree centre stage. Ironically, the initial composition and lighting don’t have the impact I hope for. However, after finding inspiration in my Lightroom editing software, I create the following..

As I search for compositions, I start to feel more horse than human, roaming the area with slow, deliberate steps — though far less rhythmically than my four-legged counterparts.  I fire off a couple of shots. While they may make the cut in the digital darkroom, they have no place in this story. 

Time for a change

I give up and decide to head into the village centre, hoping that perhaps the buildings and people will offer more opportunities. I sneak over the cattle grid. Those metal chunky bars may hinder horses’ hooves but are no match for my hiking boots.

Within 50 yards, the scenery changes from trees and grass to the start of what seems to be never-ending cafés and gift shops. 

Most of my senses are adapting. The relative peace and quiet of Boltons Bench, along with the grass and gravel underfoot and the far-reaching views, gives way to a different scene. Now we have two- or three-storey buildings, traffic circling the one-way system, and tarmac underfoot. Whatever the surface, the New Forest is the perfect place for exploring on foot.

The video of my morning of Photography in Lyndhurst

You can find more videos on my YouTube Channel.

A wander through the High Street

The Stag Hotel in Lyndhurst was built in 1907. Before that, a coaching inn stood there, believed to have operated since 1836. Contrast that with the Ferrari showroom next door.

Although built in 1907 in the style of an Italian villa, it exudes a far more modern feel. The clean interior, the modern glazing, and of course the state-of-the-art automobiles that adorn the forecourt could not be more contrasting.

I wander through Lyndhurst high street look gin for photography possibilities. From the bottom, to the top. The Church of Saint Michael and All Angels sits proudly, almost overlooking the high street. The church may resemble many others, but what rests in its grounds is truly unique. Follow the path that circles its exterior, and you can’t miss the sign Alice Memorial.

Alice Liddell, or Mrs. Reginald Hargreaves, was the real live inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Out of all the options, the Lyndhurst Tea Room is my chosen stop. I figure that since it’s the subject of one of my favourite photos of the day, I might as well see what it is like on the inside.

Half the tables are occupied, and I choose a small one away from the door. The server comes over, and I order a simple cappuccino.

I use this opportunity to write up my thoughts for the morning as I sip the hot milky coffee in front of me. 

It gives me five minutes to reflect. I don’t often go out for coffee, let alone find that the coffee is better than the photos.

Deep down, I know I am better at taking photos than I am at drinking coffee. Normally. But today, the coffee wins.

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