Ballard Lake — Attraction in New Forest

New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. The town has a high street and holds a market every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is about six miles ( 10 km ) west of Lymington town centre and 12 miles ( 19 km ) east of Bournemouth town centre. New Milton dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, and encompasses Old Milton, Barton on Sea, Ashley, Bashley, and Wootton. It is recorded as having a population of around 23,000 in 2001. The traditional village centre of Milton was just south of the church. Up to the 1960's, moated earthworks were still visible next to the road known as Moat Lane. Excavations of these earthworks in 1956 revealed a series of peasant enclosures and hut remains dating from the 9th to the 12th century, but no evidence of a manorial farmstead was found. In March 1888 New Milton railway station was opened, which is still in operation today. A new town developed, which expanded rapidly with the coming of the railway and the name New Milton was used for the first time and can originally be traced back to the Post Office that stood opposite the railway station. In 1895, the owner of the Post Office, Emma Newhook, commissioned a sign, which read - New Milton Sub Post Office to differentiate it from the post office in Old Milton. This was officially accepted in 1896, and so the name New Milton caught on. Much of the local farmland has been developed, first in the 1960's for commuter housing and again in the 1970's for small industrial / trade units. There is a mix of housing from cottages on the outskirts to more modern, urban housing in the central area. Milton village subsequently became known as Old Milton, and lies between New Milton and Barton on Sea. There are a few notable architectural points of interest in the local area. However, a distinctive row of Coast Guard Cottages are to be found in Barton Lane, Barton on Sea, which were built at the end of the 19th century by the Government of the day to house armed guards to try to stop the smuggling that was rife at the time. The Barton on Sea and Mudeford coastline was renowned for smuggling with many of the offshore seaways and routes to shore being named after well known local smuggling families. It was in this context that Frederick Marryat, author of The Children of the New Forest, was sent on patrol here as a young naval lieutenant in 1821, to watch over the Christchurch Bay area. Britain's first reinforced concrete bridge was built in 1901 just outside New Milton at Chewton. There was an earlier experiment in building with this material in its un reinforced form at Sway ( Sway Tower ). Ballard Lake that borders Fernhill Lane and Lake Grove Road, in New Milton is a picturesque area of New Milton that you could spend a hot summers day feeding the many ducks, mallards, geese that live around this lake. A few walks branch out from this lake to stroll along. Seats have been sited from donations from residents who have passed away and serve as a reminder to long lost friends or family. The stream from this lake meanders for many miles in many cases forming picturesque walks further...

Local dog walk, kiddie walk and duck feeding spot - keep an eye out for the fish too! Nice to wander around the pond and adjacent nature reserve too. Sadly often problems with litter and the need to be vigilant for dog mess. Info board give a potted history of the local area, and warns not to feed the ducks... the friendly ducks clearly aren't aware of this ;-)

If you follow the 'fairy door trail' through from the duck pond, through the grazing water meadow area and through Woar Copse you end up in Doe Copse Way where if you follow the footpath further you come to a small but well kept playground suitable for toddlers upto...

I loved seeing the ducks, morhens and the heron, they are so adorable. Please avoid putting rubbish in the Lake as it kills nature and wildlife. Today is 25/03/25 and I have just been feeding the Mallards and 2 Canadian Geese so adorable - all creatures great and small I love them all...