The New Forest Tour is celebrating 20 years on the road this summer.  The seasonal open-top bus began operating in 2004 on a circuit through Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington and Beaulieu.

Since then more than 500,000 passengers have enjoyed tree-top views of the national park – with its roaming animals, wide open heaths and ancient forest. 

Special audio commentaries tell the stories of the people and places of the New Forest – with characters, sounds and music bringing the view to life. 

The New Forest Tour is also key to efforts to encourage more people to leave their cars at home, combat climate change and work towards net zero. 

There are easy bus, train and ferry links to the New Forest from surrounding towns and cities, with free bus and ferry travel – for ticket holders – on some routes.

Morebus managing director, Andrew Wickham said: “We want as many visitors to the New Forest as possible to travel with us this year because enjoying the National Park in this way helps to reduce congestion. 

“Just one of our Tour buses has the potential to take up to 75 cars off our roads – and that can make a huge difference to the quality of air we breathe here.”

The hop-on-hop-off service also offers easy access to some wonderful walking routes. Here are some of our favourites on each route:

Green Route:

The starting point for the Green Route, Lyndhurst is also a great starting point for walks. A four-mile figure-of-eight walk takes in Pondhead Inclosure and Beechen Lane exploring some wonderful woodlands just to the south of the village.  Nearest stop: Foxlease.

Taking in the iconic Bolton’s Bench, this five-mile circular walk cuts through Pondhead Inclosure and returns across the vast open expanse of White Moor. Nearest stop: Lyndhurst fire station.

The Green Route also calls at Denny Wood campsite where you can enjoy a walk through the wonderful beech woods surrounding the campsite. Nearest stop: Denny Wood campsite.

And the village of Beaulieu is the drop-off point for an enjoyable walk along the Beaulieu River to the historic hamlet of Buckler’s Hard, where some of the most important ships in Nelson’s navy were built. Nearest stop: Beaulieu Garage

Red Route

The village of Burley is a destination on the Red Route. It’s a very short distance to the beginning of a 3-mile walk across rolling heathland of Turf Hill towards the route of the former Castleman’s Corkscrew railway line. Nearest stop: Queen’s Head, Burley

After sweeping across the north of the forest, the Red Route arrives in Ashurst.

A short stroll through the woods at Ashurst is a wonderful way of whiling away an hour or so. Or try a walk from Ashurst all the way to Brockenhurst where you could meet up with either the Green or Blue Routes. Nearest stop: Ashurst rail station

Blue Route

Before it heads to the coast, there are a number of walking routes to enjoy on the Blue Route. From the train station at Brockenhurst, try the seven-mile route through Roydon Woods nature reserve and Roundhill campsite. Or head north out of the village for a walk through the woods behind Balmer Lawn. For a longer walk, join the Lyndhurst – Brockenhurst Loop to link up with the Red and Green Routes at Lyndhurst. Nearest stop: Brockenhurst rail station

Stop off between Brockenhurst and Burley for a three-mile woodland walk through Wilverley Inclosure. Nearest stop: Holmsley, Old Station Tea Rooms

The New Forest Tour runs from 29 June to 15 September 2024. Ticket information, including discounts for New Forest residents can be found on the New Forest Tour website.