The New Forest Tour is returning for its 20th year!

Celebrations are planned this summer as we are marking the 20th anniversary of the New Forest Tour.

The open-top bus Tour navigated its very first circuit - the green route - through Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington and Beaulieu in 2004. Now it has two additional routes - blue and red - to choose from and is one of the south coast’s most popular seasonal bus services.

“Over the past 20 years, more than half a million passengers have enjoyed the all-encompassing views on offer on the New Forest Tour. And, with more than 40,000 people travelling with us last year alone, we’re expecting it to be even more popular in 2024,” said Morebus managing director, Andrew Wickham. 

‘We’re delighted to be returning on Saturday 29 June in partnership with the New Forest National Park Authority to give those travelling with us the opportunity to take in everything this spectacular area has to offer - from picturesque villages, free-roaming ponies and vibrant heathland to the region’s magnificent coastline. 

“Once again, our open-top buses will run along these three popular routes, and our team can’t wait to welcome visitors on-board to celebrate. They will be handing out 20 special goody bags to those travelling on the green route - which was our original journey here.

“We are also planning a number of competitions and giveaways via our website and social media.

“We continue to make our multi-day tickets available for the duration of the entire season. They are excellent value and offer visitors the chance to return at any time to make good use of their original fare. Passengers can hop on and off wherever they like - as well as switch between the three Tour routes.

“We want as many visitors to the New Forest as possible to travel with us this year because enjoying the National Park in this way helps to reduce congestion. Just one of our Tour buses has the potential to take up to 75 cars off our roads - and that can make a huge difference to the quality of air we breathe here.”

The New Forest Tour is key to the National Park Authority’s aim to encourage more people to leave their cars at home, combat climate change and work towards net zero. To make travelling car-free easier for visitors, it stops at local cycle hire centres - and each bus can carry up to four bikes, providing access to the area’s quiet country lanes and many miles of waymarked cycle tracks.

From the top deck, passengers will enjoy tree-top views of the National Park - with roaming animals, wide open heaths and ancient forest. Special audio commentaries tell the stories of the people and places of the New Forest - with characters, sounds and music bringing the view to life.

The Tour gives people the opportunity to spot the beautiful animals of the New Forest - including deer, rare birds, pigs, donkeys and the area’s famous ponies. 

There are easy bus, train and ferry links to the New Forest from surrounding towns and cities, with free bus and ferry travel - for Tour ticket holders - on some routes.

The New Forest Tour is running this year from Saturday 29 June 2024 to Sunday 15 September 2024.

Tickets can be bought in person on-board the bus, or download the morebus app where you can buy tickets, plan your journey and track our buses in live time.

Tickets can also be bought from Ferny Crofts, Hoburne Bashley, New Forest Heritage Centre, Sandy Balls Holiday Village, and Shorefield Country Park.

Residents of the New Forest can receive a discount off the daily ticket price through the Morebus app. To take advantage of this offer, they must first download the app and then complete the verification process before purchasing their ticket.

The New Forest Tour partners thank all the sponsors and supporters of this 20th anniversary season: Beaulieu National Motor Museum, Marwell Zoo, Paultons Park, New Forest Wildlife Park, New Forest Cottages, Exbury Gardens, Adventure Golf, Wightlink, Burley Fudge, New Forest Heritage Centre, Hoburne Bashley, the New Forest Trust, and Camping New Forest.