A Royal Hunting Ground

Everyone is welcome at the New Forest, says Tessa Waugh of the hunt that is steeped in history and tradition but has a relaxed and friendly attitude

ON 2 August 1100, King William II, named Rufus due to his red hair, was out hunting with his noblemen in the New Forest when he was killed by a stray arrow. Whether this was an accident or not will never be known, but if you visit the Forest today, you can see the iron-clad Rufus Stone marking the spot where the king died.

For many years, the New Forest hounds would meet at the stone, continuing a tradition that spanned the centuries. It was Rufus’ father, William the Conqueror, who identified the New Forest as a royal hunting ground and until relatively recently the area sustained two packs of hounds — the foxhounds and the buckhounds — although the latter disbanded in 1999.

HOW IT IS TODAY

JUST over an hour from London, with Southampton and Bournemouth bearing down on its fringes, the New Forest remains one of the largest tracts of unenclosed pasture, forestry and heathland in southern England.

Driving through suburban Verwood on the western edge, you might imagine that genuine rural life vanished long ago, but this is not the case. Among the many runners, cyclists and walkers (there are plenty about even on a wet day in November) that visit all year round, there are still indigenous families living here, many of whom have enjoyed commoners’ rights — the freedom to graze their ponies and cattle here — for generations.

Several of these families are involved with the hunt, including Carol Lovell who joined the mastership this season. Carol hunted with the buckhounds in her 20s but transferred to the foxhounds after the pack folded.

“At first I couldn’t understand why the hounds were going around and around because when you found a buck, you went in a straight line, but I eventually got used to it. I could have gone to the West Country to hunt but I just love being in the Forest,” she says.