Welcome to the

#RealNewForest

Shared with you by the New Forest Commoners Defence Association

Coronavirus

The New Forest remains closed to overnight stays. Please continue to avoid parking on the grazing beside roads and gates, and never obstruct gateways.

Follow the byelaws: Keep your distance from all livestock and keep dogs under close control. Follow all advice on hand washing and social distancing.

Outdoor exercise is permitted either with the members of your household, or in a group of up to six people, but still respecting 2m of social distancing between those from different households; thus it is permitted for up to six people to ride together, provided they maintain the 2m social distance between riders from different homes.

The penalty for breaking the rules has increased to £100.

Updated: 1st June 2020

Welcome

Discover the real New Forest – an incredible living, working landscape, shaped over centuries by the animals that graze it, and the people who own and care for them – the “commoners”: Ordinary people, with ordinary jobs, but with an extraordinary commitment.

If you want reliable, straightforward answers to your questions about the New Forest and prefer fact over folklore then this is the site for you. Please do explore. We’ve included more information than ever before. If you know what you’re looking for then do use the Search button above to go straight to the right place.

You can also support us by applying to join the CDA. You don’t need to be a commoner to join as an Associate Member.

All members are invited to the 2020 AGM: 7.30pm, Wednesday 18th November 2020, Lyndhurst Community Centre

For the Commoning Voices Exhibition audioguide

About Commoning

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About the Commoners Defence Association

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Latest News

Parking erosion of SSSI in Lockdown

Our Unprotected Landscape

18th May 2020

We’ve all learnt a lot from the coronavirus lockdown. The extent to which people will voluntarily help complete strangers in a time of need has been hugely reassuring when there ... READ MORE

“Don’t delay!” CDA message to ministers

15th May 2020

This week the Agriculture Bill gave MPs their first taste of online voting for a major piece of legislation on 13th May. It sailed through, despite much debate over a future trade ... READ MORE

All change!

27th February 2020

Tony Hockley, CDA Chair 27th February 2020 The Government has now offered more clues regarding post-Brexit agricultural and environmental policies. These will be made possible ... READ MORE

What’s the New Forest done for us?

18th November 2019

The past three years have given ample time for Britain to think about what a break from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could mean for the countryside and nature. Could the ... READ MORE

Robert Stride & Julian Glover

Kick on! The Glover Review & The New Forest

23rd September 2019

CDA Chair, Tony Hockley, offers his personal views on the review of national landscapes The review of Designated Landscapes led by Julian Glover faced a huge ... READ MORE

Commoning year

Branding House Nameplates New Forest Show

July

Commoners and their animals scrub up for the New Forest Show, and the CDA gets busy branding house nameplates for sale at the Show. This is a particularly popular attraction, with many local people waiting until the Show to get new rustic nameplates for their homes, stables and other outbuildings.
When the sun shines we'll also be out taking hay from our back-up fields. This helps keep the land that we rent or own in good condition for winter grazing, and provides useful feed for the winter months when many animals are brought home from the open Forest. Keeping local fields in the traditional rotation of hay-making and seasonal grazing also provides important habitats, keeping these spaces for nature.