The Queen's Inclosure, Cowplain - geograph

The Forest of Bere is a mixed-use partially forested area in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

immediately north of

Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and Roman Road,

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England between Portsmouth and Chichester. Its borough (population: 125,000) comprises the town (45,826) and its suburbs including the resort of Hayling Island as well as Rowland's Castl ...

and including a small part of the

South Downs National Park The South Downs National Park is England's newest national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hamp ...

.Map from the

Ordnance survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

The former uninterrupted forest is now a mix of woodland, open space, ponds, streams,

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

, farmland and

downland Downland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs. This term is used to describe the characteristic landscape in southern England where chalk is exposed at the surface. The name "downs" is deriv ...

interspersed by minor villages and the major settlements of

Waterlooville Waterlooville is a market town in the Borough of Havant in Hampshire, England, approximately north northeast of Portsmouth. It is the largest town in the borough. The town has a population of about 64,350 and is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendwort ...

(with

Cowplain Cowplain is a village north of Waterlooville, Hampshire, England. With a population of 9,353 at the 2011 census, it makes up above 7% of Havant borough's population. It grew along the old London to Portsmouth road (the A3) on which the village ...

) and Eastleigh (with

Chandlers Ford Chandler's Ford (originally The Ford and historically Chandlersford) is a largely residential area and civil parish in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. It has a population of 21,436 in the 2011 UK Census. Chandler's Ford lies on ...

).Fareham Visitor Information
There are a number of paths and bridleways for walking and cycling. In the southern portion, towards the area south of the

Queen Elizabeth Country Park Queen Elizabeth Country Park is a large country park situated on the South Downs in southern England. It is located on the A3 road three miles south of Petersfield, Hampshire and lies within the South Downs National Park. The park contains 1,400 ...

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

plantations were created in the twentieth century.

History

In the 13th and 14th centuries, two

royal forest A royal forest, occasionally known as a kingswood (), is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The term ''forest'' in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the ...

s formed a greater forerunner of the later vestigial forest between the

New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...

and the Sussex border. North of Southampton between the rivers

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

and Itchen was the Royal Forest of Bere Ashley. North of Portsmouth between the

River Meon The River Meon () is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at East Meon then flows in a generally southerly direction to empty into the Solent at Hill Head near Stubbington.Hampshire County Council (2006). Activities at ...

and the suburb of

Bedhampton Bedhampton is a former village, and now suburb, located in the Borough of Havant, Hampshire, England. It is located at the northern end of Langstone Harbour and at the foot of the eastern end of Portsdown Hill. Early mentions of Bedhampton are r ...

was the Royal Forest of Bere Portchester.

Woodland habitats and contiguous country parks

''Listed from east to west, excluding small copses and coppices'' *Southleigh Forest *

Staunton Country Park Staunton Country Park is a listed Regency era, Regency landscaped parkland and forest encompassing approximately in Hampshire, England. An ornamental farm, ornamental lake, Folly, follies, maze, walled garden and greenhouse, glasshouses can be ...

*The Holt with Stein Wood and Havant Thicket *Bells Copse *Outhills Copse with Stakehills Coppice and Beech Wood *Bushy Lease with Neville's Park and Littlepark Wood *The Queen's Inclosure in Waterlooville *Newlandsmoor Coppice with Malin's Coppice, Drivett's Coppice, Portland Coppice, Potwall Coppice, Broomground Coppice and Greathunt Coppice *Dunsland Coppice with Wards Coppice and Fareham Garden (wood adjoining above group) *Sawyer's Wood *Creech Woods *Place Wood *Mitchelland Copse *Stroud Coppice *Hipley Copse *Waltonheath Plantation with Ashlands Plantation and Staplecross Copse *Goathouse Copse with Russell Copse and Kiln Wood *Grub Coppice with Mill Coppice *West Walk (one of the largest woods) (with Lowerfield Copse and Upperfield Copse) *Dirty Copse with Great Holywell Copse *Mill Copse with Hoegate Commons, The Purlieu and Huntbourn Wood *Orchard Copse with Birching Copse *Close Wood and Bishop's Wood *Shaftesbury Copse, Aylesbury Copse with Ravens Wood, Birchfield Copse, Dash Wood, Dandy Copse and Fiddlers Green *Mushes Coppice with Everitts Coppice, Stonyfield Copse, Flagpond Copse, Sager's Moor, Dimmock's Moor, Ridge Copse, Blackmoor Copse, Waterclose Copse and Sawpit Copse *Brook Wood with Horse Wood, Hallwood Copse, Mansfield High Wood, Hole Copse and Silford Copse *Jacob's Croft, Hangman's Copse, Blacklands Copse, Birch Row, Alder Moor, Maids' Garden Copse and Botley Row (wood that adjoins above group) *Gull Coppice and Bushy Land, in Swanwick *Wellspring Copse with Swanwick Wood *

Manor Farm Country Park Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

with Dock Copse, Catiland Copse, Vantage Copse and Durncombe's Copse *Netley Common with Dumbleton's Copse *Telegraph Woods with Beacon Hill Woodland Park *Hog Wood with Milkmeads Copse, Vocus Copse, High Wood and/in

Itchen Valley Country Park Itchen Valley Country Park is a country park in West End, Hampshire, England. As the name suggests, the River Itchen runs through the park, which covers .

*Home Wood with Smithys Wood, Cox's Rough, Hut Wood, Marshall's Rows, Spring Copse and Chilworth Common *Otterbourne Park Wood and Pitmore Copse *Home Copse, Long Copse and Rownhams Plantation *The woods that cover most of

Cranbury Park Cranbury Park is a stately home and country estate situated in the parish of Hursley, Winchester, England. It was formerly the home to Sir Isaac Newton and later to the Chamberlayne family, whose descendants now own and occupy the house and surr ...

*Windmill Copse *Hocombe Plantation with Trodds Copse *Broadgate Plantation *Ampfield Wood with Neville's Copse, Amprield Plantation and Hursley Forest

References

External links

Upperford Copse

Fareham Council - Bere
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forest Of Bere Forests and woodlands of Hampshire

Bere Bere may refer to: Places * Bere, Botswana, a village * Béré, Burkina Faso, a city * Bere Department, Burkina Faso * Béré, Chad, a city * Béré Region, Woroba District, Ivory Coast * Bere Bay, Nunavut, Canada * Early name for the village ...