Lyndhurst is a large village in the heart of the New Forest National Park. It is its main tourist and commercial center. There are numerous shops, restaurants and guesthouses to cater to tourists coming to this largest English natural forest.
The town was founded in the Middle Ages and from its beginnings it was associated with the English monarchy. The New Forest was a hunting ground for monarchs and even then it was the royal estate. The village was often visited by the rulers and their families, and hunting stays sometimes even lasted several weeks. To this day, Lyndhurst is home to the Queen's House (the name changes depending on the gender of the current monarch) owned by the Crown.
Lyndhurst's attractions are linked to nature and the surrounding forests. The most important is the New Forest Center, a large tourist and educational center with a museum dedicated to the surrounding forests, a tourist information center, bookstore and café. You can also take advantage of the educational offer of the New Forest Reptile Center presenting reptiles occurring in the vicinity on properly prepared runs. To watch deer, fallow deer and other animals from this group, you can go to Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary.
The village of Lyndhurst is also visited by lovers of literature. Alice Liddell (Hargreaves) lived here, she was for Lewis Carroll the prototype of Alice in Wonderland. Her grave is located in the cemetery near the Gothic church of St. Michael and All Angels.
