Social Events
Calendar 2026
The Programme for 2026 is as follows:
To book events go to the member's area. Events will only be available to book when details such as price and date are known. Signing up for an event is an obligation to pay and attend. Cancellations to be discussed with the event organiser as payment may still be required.
The proposed programme of events for 2026 is given below. Please see this web site for the details on the events as they become available and to make a booking. Any member is welcome to organise or lead an event - especially if you have background knowledge that would make the visit particularly interesting!
28th May 2026 Lymington Salt Marshes led by Dave Bramley
EVENT NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED
DATE Thursday 28th May 2026
EVENT Tour of Lymington Salt Marshes
ORGANISER Dave Bramley
PRICE £10 per person
DETAILS A tour of Lymington Salt Marshes which will last about 2 hours and included information about tthe marshes the salt industry and also seek out soe of the rare migratory birds that can be found there. Aimee and Pete Durnell manage the site and are very enthusiastic. Take binoculars and cameras to fully take advantage of this opportunity.
25th June 2026 Pine Martens led by Athol Hyland
EVENT NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED.
Pine Martens with Wild New Forest
Date: Thursday 25th June 2026 -Early Evening
Time: 7.30pm
Cost: £14pp which will include a glass of Prosecco or Nosecco,before the walk begins.
Location: Whitefield Moor Car Park
Transport: Own cars. Please arrange car shares
Number of participants: A minimum of 15 participants is required for the event to be viable.
If there is sufficient interest, a second guide will be requested to increase the maximum to 30.
Organiser: Athol Hyland
Following the excellent talk by Marcus Ward of Wild New Forest in January, he will lead us on a 2-3 hour walk from a location close to Brockenhurst (probably Whitefield Moor or Puttles Bridge) to explore general wildlife, habitats, and land management within the Forest. We will visit a couple of locations associated with pine marten activity - but no guarantee of spotting these elusive nocturnal animals!
Marcus is a lifelong naturalist with special interests in birds, mammals, moths, and fungi. He is well known for his work with hawfinches, as well as leading the pine marten projects, spending hundreds of hours in the field each year studying these species. As those who attended his talk in January will know, he is hugely knowledgeable and passionate about wildlife in the Forest.
21st July 2026 Treasure Hunt and Garden BBQ - led by Bruce McFarlane and Thorold Masefield
DATE Monday 21st July 2026
EVENT Treasure Hunt and BBQ in Thorold's Garden
ORGANISER Bruce McFarlane and Thorold Masefield
PRICE £12 per person
DETAILS The day will begin with a leisurely Treasure Hunt followed by a BBQ in a similar format to previous events of this type. The Treasure Hunt results will be announced at the BBQ
29th July 2026 Croquet led by Graham Otter
DATE Tuesday 29th July 2026
EVENT Lunch at The Chequers 12 -1.45pm followed by
Croquet at Woodside Gardens 2-4pm
Limited to 16 Players
ORGANISER Graham Otter ably assisted by Martin Lockwood
PRICE £12 per person for Croquet. Lunch to be paid by attendees at the pub
DETAILS All equipment provided. Guidance will be given by Graham and Martin. Strictly flat shoes to protect playing surface.Graham will contact attendees closer to date for menu selection.
4th August 2026 A Tour of Christchurch Priory with Cream |Tea led by John Gribble
DATE Tuesday 4th August 2026
EVENT Guided Ground Floor tour of Christchurch Priory followed by a Cream Tea
ORGANISER John Gribble
PRICE £15 per person
Max 20 people
DETAILS A tour of the Priory followed by a cream tea. Time to be notified. Transsport can be by Car or Train Christchurch Station is a 15 Minute walk to the Priory. They have a small car park. The address is Quay Rd Christchurch, BH23 1QA there is a council car park next to it also on Quay Rd
Thursday 27th August 2026 Archeolocal Site Visit led by Dave Bramley
EVENT Archeological Site Visit
DATE Thursday 27th August 2026 at 5.30pm
EVENT Archeolocical Site Visit near the Pig
PRICE £10
DETAILS Due to permissions from Forestry England the time and date may change. This is a local site of a Roman farm. Following on from the talk by Tony King in May we will visit a site occupied by Romans believed to have farmed aand manufactured Pottery.Details will be made available to those signed up closer to the date. The event can be booked on the events booking page in the members area.
Tuesday 22nd September 2026 Amazon Warehouse Visit led by Bruce McFarlane
DATE Tuesday 22nd September 2026
EVENT Visit and Guided Tour around the Amazon Warehouse Swindon
ORGANISER Bruce McFarlane
PRICE Entry FREE
DETAILS This is a difficult tour to pin down exact times until near the date. Travel will be by individual car share. More details available as they become known.
October
Wine Tasting led by Rob Evison
November
Quiz Night led by Ken Garrod and little helpers
8th December 2026
A lunch to be held at New Forest Park Hotel. Details will follow soon.
A Proposal for an Event in 2027
Bruce our social secretary is trying to assess the level of interest in a short cruise He has identified a five day cruise with P&O - Cruise number G702. Costs will depend on the cabins chosen and your contract will be with P&O Bruce will try to negotiate a discount based on the level of interest.
We are putting an interest element on the events booking page now. This will give us a guide on viability, Entering interest at this time is not a firm commitment and if the trip is deemed viable it will be worked into a firm proposal. Please enter you interest on the events booking page in the members area