The Fighting Cocks

The Fighting Cocks

The Fighting Cocks is a popular, family friendly Isle of Wight pub offering an excellent range of food and drink for all ages.

From a hearty breakfast to start your day, to a light lunch or dinner, The Fighting Cocks offers an extensive menu and seasonal specials board with locally sourced fish, shellfish, meat and vegetables to tempt every appetite and taste.

Newforest drive 2007

driving through the newforest, on the road towards fordingbridge. stopping at the famous fighting cocks pub.

New Forest Country Walk Godshill to Castle Hill round

Our video is a guided circular walk in the New Forest, Hampshire from Godshill to Castle Hill. We come across plenty of forest ponies and donkeys on this short walk. This is an easy walk on grass and gravel footpaths/tracks and some tarmac minor road. There are some gates and stiles and also some steady incline and declines.
Elevation: approx lowest point 29m (96ft) approx highest point 97.50m (320ft) approx ascent 165m (542ft).
Approx 4.5 miles allow 2 hours using OS Explorer Map OL22, New Forest. This walk is done clockwise.
Start point: car park near the Fighting Cocks pub, Godshill in the New Forest.
For more info and facilities please go to our website.

'LIVING' HEDGE IN THE NEW FOREST with Andrew Birnie - February 2017

Expert hedgelayer to reveal tricks of the trade



PRESS RELEASE - A rare opportunity to learn the secrets of a traditional New Forest skill is on offer next Thursday (16 February).

People of all ages are invited to a special demonstration by local hedgelaying expert Andrew Birnie as he finishes laying a hedge in Godshill in the New Forest.

Organised by the New Forest Land Advice Service and the New Forest National Park Authority, the event is part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Our Past, Our Future landscape partnership scheme, which is led by the National Park Authority and 10 key partners.

The free event is part of the Rural Skills strand of Our Past, Our Future, which seeks to teach forgotten traditional skills to a new generation. The open day will take place between 10am and 3pm, with parking available at the Fighting Cocks Pub and no booking needed.

Attendees will be able to watch Andrew at work, listen to his hourly presentations and ask questions about why it is important to manage hedges in this traditional way.

The event will continue the work started by participants on a recent hedgelaying training course run by the Land Advice Service.

Event organiser and New Forest National Park Authority Interpretation Officer Gareth Owen, said: 'This is an opportunity to safely see traditional rural skills being used to manage land sensitively and see the work being undertaken by the Our Past, Our Future scheme to help protect and restore the Forest.’

Julie Melin-Stubbs, New Forest Land Advice Service Manager, said: ‘Hedgerows are critical to many plants and animals and facilitate the movement of them through the landscape. They are a hugely important part of the British landscape, but unfortunately many are not in favourable condition and need to be managed more appropriately. We advise many landowners on this in the New Forest and I hope this open day will help even more people understand how traditional hedgelaying benefits nature.’

The hedge is on a public right of way and is only accessible on foot. The event will be signposted from the pub’s car park and although the path to access the event is flat, it is not suitable for large buggies or wheelchairs. It can also become extremely muddy; therefore the event is weather dependant.

If you would like to know more about the event, please contact Gareth Owen on 01590 646652 or by emailing Gareth.Owen@newforestnpa.gov.uk.