Lime Wood

Hidden among the ancient woodland of the New Forest, Lime Wood is a relaxed country-house retreat where the landscape is allowed to take centre stage. Forest paths begin at the garden gate, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients shape the cooking, and a nature-led spa looks directly into the trees — creating a stay that feels intimately connected to one of England’s most distinctive rural landscapes.

Story

The house now known as Lime Wood was formerly Parkhill House, before being transformed into the hotel that opened in 2009. The project evolved over five years, with architects Charles Morris and Ben Pentreath and designers including David Collins shaping a contemporary interpretation of the English country house.

From the beginning, however, the ambition was for the New Forest rather than the building to be the hero. Chairman Robin Hutson described wanting to embrace both the hotel's Britishness and its position “in the middle of the New Forest”, bringing the provenance of food and surrounding landscape into the experience.

That philosophy has continued to evolve. Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder now lead a restaurant built around seasonality and local ingredients, Herb House brings the forest into its approach to wellbeing, and guests can step directly from the grounds onto miles of woodland trails.

Why we selected Lime Wood

The New Forest is part of the experience

Lime Wood doesn't simply overlook the National Park: walking trails lead directly from the grounds into ancient woodland, heathland and open forest, making the surrounding landscape integral to a stay.

Food follows the forest and seasons

Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder's cooking combines Italian influences with ingredients sourced from forest, farm and sea, changing throughout the year according to what is naturally available.

Local traditions are still visible

Free-roaming ponies, cattle and pigs aren't simply picturesque wildlife: many belong to New Forest commoners exercising ancient grazing rights that continue to shape the ecology and identity of the landscape.

Wellbeing rooted in nature

Herb House was designed around its forest setting, from a rooftop herb garden and outdoor hot pool to a sauna looking directly into the trees, making nature central rather than incidental to the spa experience.

Local life & traditions

The New Forest has a culture unlike almost anywhere else in England. Created as a royal hunting forest by William the Conqueror around 1079, it remains a working landscape shaped by the ancient practice of commoning. Local commoners retain historic rights to graze animals on the open forest, which is why ponies, cattle and donkeys still wander freely between woodland, heath and village roads.

Some traditions are centuries old. The autumn drifts, when New Forest ponies are rounded up and checked, have their origins in a decree made by Henry VIII in 1540, while pigs are still released into the forest during pannage to forage for fallen acorns.

The forest has its own food culture too, shaped by the coast, farms and woodland surrounding it. Wild plants, mushrooms and herbs have traditionally been gathered for food and medicine, while nearby farms, fishermen and producers supply the ingredients that increasingly define contemporary New Forest cooking. Lime Wood draws guests into this living landscape through walking, cycling, foraging and seasonal food rather than treating the forest simply as scenery.

Authentic experiences in the area

Forage through the New Forest

Head into the surrounding woodland with an expert to discover the edible plants, herbs and seasonal ingredients that have traditionally been gathered from this landscape.

Walk straight from the garden gate

Follow trails directly from Lime Wood into the National Park, passing ancient woodland, heath and open forest where New Forest ponies and cattle roam freely.

Discover the culture of commoning

Learn why animals continue to wander freely across the forest and how centuries-old commoning rights remain fundamental to both local identity and the conservation of its unusual habitats.

Eat with the seasons at HH&Co

Experience Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder’s relaxed cooking, where Italian influences meet ingredients from the surrounding forest, farms and coast.

Protecting culture & land

At Lime Wood, protecting the landscape begins with recognising that the New Forest is not untouched wilderness but a living cultural landscape, whose ecology has been shaped for centuries by commoners and their grazing animals. The hotel encourages guests to experience and understand this environment through walking, cycling and nature-led experiences rather than separating them from it.

Food follows a similarly grounded philosophy. Hartnett Holder & Co prioritises local ingredients and seasonality, while Luke Holder has increasingly placed provenance and the relationship between food, human health and the planet at the centre of his cooking.

Herb House extends this connection into wellbeing, using the surrounding forest as its inspiration and bringing guests physically closer to nature through its rooftop garden, forest-facing sauna and indoor-outdoor spaces.

Location & surroundings

Lime Wood sits within the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, surrounded by ancient woodland, heathland and open forest.

Lyndhurst, often considered the historic heart of the New Forest, lies just minutes away, while the Hampshire coast can be reached in around 20 minutes.

Walking routes lead directly from the hotel into the forest, making it possible to leave the car behind and explore the landscape on foot.

Key details

Address

Lime Wood
Beaulieu Rd,
Lyndhurst,
Hampshire,
SO43 7FZ
England

Getting here

By train: Brockenhurst is the nearest mainline station, with direct services from London Waterloo.

By car: Around 1 hour 30 minutes from London.

By plane: Southampton Airport is the closest major airport.

Facilities

Herb House Spa

Indoor lap pool & outdoor hot pool

Hydrotherapy pool

Forest-view sauna & steam facilities

Rooftop herb garden & rooftop gym

Fitness & yoga spaces

Bikes available for exploring

Hartnett Holder & Co restaurant

Walking routes directly into the New Forest

More

33 rooms, suites, lodges, cottages & cabins

Private dining & event spaces

Words from Robin Hutson, Chairman, Lime Wood

“We like the Britishness of Lime Wood and the fact that we are in the middle of the New Forest.”

Every stay booked direct keeps value with the people of this place, so they can reinvest in culture, community and land

We believe travel should give back more than it takes; that it can protect cultures, not erode them.

That is why we connect you directly with each hotel’s own website. By booking direct, value remains in the hands of those who shape these places, enabling reinvestment into local culture, community, and land.