There is plenty to keep children busy here all day with an excellent play park and hands-on nature exhibits, as well as trails across the heath where you will see the park in its full glory with purple heather, silver sandy paths and wildlife-filled ponds.

Frensham Little Pond is less visited than its more well known big brother, Frensham Great Pond. Unlike the latter, you cannot bathe at the little pond which means wildlife thrives in the water and surrounding woods and heath.

Just a stone’s throw from the town centre, Midhurst common is a delightful place to explore with plenty of paths through woodland and sandy heath. Three ponds are home to an abundance of fish and are accessed by silver sandy dunes.

Explore heathland, that is an important habitat to a variety of wildlife, along the clearly marked nature trail. Use the downloadable information leaflets to discover what species are living within the site and collect brass rubbings of them as you walk.

Witley Common comprises a variety of landscapes from sunny, sandy heathland to green, wooded glades. A walk here is an absolute joy for all ages, and it is made all the more enticing by the rustic wooden play features found near the start of the trail.

We went looking for a walk in The New Forest that would celebrate the late summer heather of the heathlands and this is what we found. Add in a trip to nearby Burley for an excellent day out in the national park.

The New Forest’s largest freshwater pond is a magnet for animals and birds and is one of the most wildlife rich bodies of water in lowland England. This walk crosses the heathland, purple in late summer, to reach it.

Kingsley boasts a rather large and beautiful village pond that is hidden from the road. Beyond this is a sandy common dotted with gnarly oaks and coated in purple heather.

This walk takes in both the heathland and the woodland of the the New Forest as well as wildlife rich marshland and pools.