Ponies have lived here for thousands of years (Image: Rex/ Shutterstock)
This is the beautiful British town where waking up to a horse or a donkey at your door is far from unusual - as it's nestled within one of England’s finest historic woodlands.
Brockenhurst sits within the boundaries of the glorious New Forest in Hampshire, where the indigenous ponies have roamed freely for thousands of years.
Locals in the area don’t mind the occasional equine traffic jam on the High Street or having their grass trimmed by their four-legged neighbours.
New Forest ponies can trace their DNA back to before the last Ice Age 500,000 years ago, but the first written mention of them is just after 1066 when William the Conqueror declared the area a royal hunting ground.
Fast-forward nearly a thousand years, and the forest is still filled not just with ponies, but also home to donkeys, cattle pigs and sheep too.
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The ponies are free to come and go as they like (Image: Rex/ Shutterstock)
A pong enjoys the common land around Brockenhurst (Image: Getty )
The livestock and wild animals are owned by commoners’, local people with common grazing rights, who care for the creatures and help manage the grazing which has shaped this incredible landscape.
The 280-square-mile national park that now covers the forest contains several villages and towns, with Brokenhurst having a population of around 5,000.
Those wanting to move to this idyllic setting can expect to pay for the privilege with property prices averaging just under ￡950,000, according to Rightmove.
For a detached abode that average shoots up to around ￡1.25million.
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Brockenhurst has been the site of a settlement since before 1066 (Image: Getty )
Ponies in the New Forest near Brockenhurst (Image: Getty )
As well as having ancient roots, the area around Brockenhurst was also the scene for some modern history when during the Second World War General Montgomery and General Eisenhower met at the Balmer Lawn Hotel, close to the town.
The iconic military leaders met to discuss plans for the 1944 D-Day Normandy landings which would lead on to end the reign of Hitler and Nazi tyranny in Europe.
Today the woodland around the village is popular with two-wheeled enthusiasts with a host of cycle routes for outdoor-loving people to enjoy.
And despite its rural location the area is still served by a railway line which offers services to London Waterloo as well as Southampton, Manchester and Birmingham.
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