The M27 westbound at Cadnam is closed overnight until 14 August, with the A31 next. Plus forest car park charges, the 40mph limit and station parking.

Two things changed for New Forest drivers this year, and only one of them is a roadworks sign. The first is a run of overnight closures at the Cadnam end of the forest this week. The second is bigger and permanent: since 20 April 2026 you have to pay to park in 129 New Forest car parks that used to be free.

Here is what is closed and when, then the parts of driving here that do not change with the works programme.

What is closed right now

National Highways is felling ash trees along its roads across the South East, and two of the closures in that programme are in the New Forest. Both are overnight only, so the roads run normally in the daytime.

M27 westbound, junction 1 to A31 Upper Canterton: 10 to 14 August 2026, closed overnight 9pm to 6am. This is the Cadnam gateway, the point where the motorway becomes the A31 across the forest. The signed diversion leaves at Cadnam Interchange on to the A31, joins the A336, then the A326 and the A35, goes through Lyndhurst via Gosport Lane and Chapel Lane, and follows the A35 to Iford Bridge and the A3060 and A338 before rejoining the A31 at Ashley Heath roundabout.

A31 southbound, Boundary Lane roundabout to Ashley Heath roundabout: 14 August 2026, closed overnight 9pm to 6am. That is the far western end, past Ringwood. The diversion runs west on the A31, exits on to New Road (A347), takes Christchurch Road and Parley Lane (B3073) to Spur Road (A338) northbound, and rejoins the A31 at Ashley Heath.

National Highways says the reason is that it has “found large numbers of dead or dying Ash trees” that are “a potential safety risk to people on or near our road network”. Its own advice is worth repeating: follow the signed diversion, not your satnav, which will try to send you down forest lanes that are not built for diverted traffic.

Beyond those two nights, the National Highways road closure report, last updated 7 August 2026, listed no full closures on the A31 in the following seven days.

The four roads that matter

Schematic map of the main roads through the New Forest, with the August 2026 overnight closure points marked A schematic diagram. The A31 runs east to west across the top, from Cadnam and the M27 junction 1 in the east, past Stoney Cross and Ringwood, to Boundary Lane and Ashley Heath roundabouts in the west. Two closure markers sit on it: the M27 westbound to A31 Upper Canterton closure from 10 to 14 August, and the A31 southbound Boundary Lane to Ashley Heath closure on 14 August. Below, the A35 runs south west from Cadnam through Lyndhurst towards Christchurch. The A337 runs south from Lyndhurst through Brockenhurst to Lymington. The A326 runs south from Totton to Hythe and Fawley on the Waterside. Not to scale. Four roads carry the whole district, and both August closures sit on the A31 Schematic, not to scale. The A31 and M27 are National Highways roads; the A35, A337 and A326 are Hampshire County Council's. Ashley Heath Boundary Ln Ringwood Stoney Cross Cadnam / M27 J1 Totton Lyndhurst Brockenhurst Lymington Hythe Fawley to Christchurch A31 (National Highways) M27 A35 A337 A326 shut 10-14 Aug, nights shut 14 Aug, nights Both August closures are overnight only, 9pm to 6am, and both are ash dieback tree felling rather than road repairs. The A35 through Lyndhurst is the pinch point: the official M27 diversion routes traffic through the village on Gosport Lane and Chapel Lane. Source: National Highways South East maintenance schemes and road closure report, checked 10 August 2026.
The A31 is the only fast way across the forest. When it or the M27 closes, the diversion goes through Lyndhurst.

The A31 is the trunk road, dual carriageway, and it is a National Highways road rather than a county one. It runs from the M27 at Cadnam straight across the open forest to Ringwood and on towards Bournemouth. It is the only route across the middle of the district that is built for the traffic it carries.

The A35 leaves the A31 at Cadnam and runs south west through Lyndhurst towards Christchurch. Lyndhurst is where it hurts. The village high street takes A35 traffic and A337 traffic through the same junction, and when the A31 or the M27 closes, the official diversion sends the displaced traffic through it as well.

The A337 runs south from Lyndhurst through Brockenhurst to Lymington. It is a single carriageway across open forest for much of its length, which is where the 40mph limit and the animals matter most.

The A326 heads south from Totton down the Waterside to Hythe, Holbury and Fawley. It carries the industrial traffic for the Fawley complex as well as commuters.

Car park charges: the change most people have not caught up with

Forestry England introduced charges at 129 New Forest car parks on Monday 20 April 2026. Sites that had been free for decades, including the ones at Bolderwood, Rhinefield and the ornamental drives, now cost money.

Forestry England New Forest car park tariff, 2026
StayPrice
Up to 1 hour£1.50
Up to 2 hours£3.00
Up to 4 hours£5.00
Over 4 hours£8.00

Payment is by the RingGo app or website at all 129 car parks. Only about 16 of the busier ones have a machine that takes a card, so if you drive to a quiet forest car park without a phone signal, plan for it. Forestry England national membership costs £8 a month, or £96 a year, and includes free parking at all of them, which pays for itself at roughly one four-hour visit a month.

The New Forest National Park Authority does not own or operate any of these car parks and had no power to approve or refuse the scheme, because it counts as permitted development. It asked Forestry England for robust measures against displacement parking, a local discount and minimal signage. Displacement is the thing to watch: verge parking damages the open forest and is the predictable consequence of charging.

The 40mph limit and the animals

There is a standard 40mph limit on forest roads and 30mph in the towns and villages, according to Go New Forest, the district’s official visitor service. It exists for one reason. Around 5,000 ponies, plus cattle, donkeys and pigs, belong to commoners who hold the right to graze them on the open forest all year, and none of it is fenced off from the road.

The New Forest National Park Authority’s figures for 2025, published on 21 January 2026, were the worst since 2020:

  • 108 reported accidents involving commoners’ animals, up from 97 in 2024.
  • 47 animals killed, up from 37.
  • 18 hit and runs, broadly level with the 19 in 2024.

Night is still when most accidents happen, but the Authority called the increase in daylight and twilight collisions the most worrying part of the 2025 figures. Its advice is plain: drive to the conditions, allow extra time, pass animals wide and slow, and expect an animal to step out from a shaded verge without warning.

If you hit an animal, you must report it to the police within 24 hours. That is not a formality. An injured pony that wanders off unreported can take days to die.

Station parking

Brockenhurst is the district’s rail interchange and National Rail lists 236 parking spaces there, six of them accessible, plus cycle storage and cycle hire. For a station that serves commuters from Lymington, Sway, Boldre and the forest villages, that is not a lot, and it fills on weekday mornings.

The alternative is the branch line. Lymington Town to Brockenhurst is a nine-minute shuttle that connects into the London services, which is exactly why it exists. Our New Forest trains to London page has the times and the season ticket prices from every station.

Ferries: one running, one not

Lymington Pier to Yarmouth is the working link to the Isle of Wight, operated by Wightlink, with the train from Brockenhurst running right on to the pier.

Hythe to Southampton is not running. The ferry was suspended in 2024 after damage to the pontoon, and the Hythe and Southampton Ferry Company was placed into liquidation earlier this year. On 18 June 2026 The Hythe Pier Company confirmed it had bought the assets out of liquidation, including the vessel, the pontoon and the leasehold interests, and said the aim was to bring the route back. Its own statement was careful about the timing: the acquisition “does not mean the immediate return of a scheduled ferry service”. Do not plan a journey around it.

Getting around without a car in summer

The New Forest Tour open-top bus runs three routes, Red, Green and Blue, from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 13 September 2026, operated by Morebus. Bikes go on board, so it doubles as a way to get to a trailhead without moving your car and paying for a forest car park.

Frequently asked questions

What roadworks are on in the New Forest right now?

The M27 westbound between junction 1 and the A31 at Upper Canterton is closed overnight, 9pm to 6am, from 10 to 14 August 2026, and the A31 southbound between Boundary Lane roundabout and Ashley Heath roundabout is closed overnight on 14 August. Both are National Highways ash dieback tree felling, and both roads run normally in the daytime.

Do you have to pay to park in the New Forest now?

Yes. Forestry England started charging at 129 New Forest car parks on 20 April 2026. It is £1.50 for an hour, £3 for two, £5 for four and £8 for longer, paid through RingGo. Only about 16 car parks have card machines.

What is the speed limit in the New Forest?

40mph on the forest roads and 30mph in the towns and villages. It applies because commoners’ ponies, cattle, donkeys and pigs roam loose across the unfenced open forest and cross the road.

What do I do if I hit a New Forest pony?

Report it to the police within 24 hours. It is a legal requirement and it is how an injured animal gets found. In 2025 there were 18 hit and runs out of 108 reported animal accidents.

Is the Hythe ferry to Southampton running?

No. It has been suspended since 2024. The Hythe Pier Company bought the ferry assets out of liquidation in June 2026 and wants to restart the route, but has said that does not mean an immediate return to a scheduled service.

Which road is worst for traffic in the New Forest?

The A35 through Lyndhurst. The village takes A35 and A337 traffic through the same junction, and it is also where the official diversion goes whenever the A31 or the M27 closes at Cadnam.

Sources

Roadworks change weekly. Check National Highways and Hampshire County Council before you travel.