The New Forest
Sports therapy and rehab for Lyndhurst, across the Forest from Hythe
Ferryboat House, home to my sports therapy clinic, is roughly 19 minutes’ drive east of Lyndhurst, over in Hythe on the Southampton Water side of the Forest. I’m Alice, and whether it’s a knee that aches after a walk up Bolton’s Bench, an elbow that has had enough of the golf course on Southampton Road or a neck that stiffens over the working week, I’ll find the cause and plan the rehabilitation that gets you back to it.
About Lyndhurst
A forest village with a court of its own
The Domesday survey of 1086 records Lyndhurst as ‘Linhest’, from Old English words meaning a wooded hill with lime trees. The manor passed to the Crown in 1270 and went on to form part of the dowry of four successive queens. Today the village, about 9 miles south-west of Southampton and home to just over 3,000 people at the 2021 census, is often called the capital of the New Forest. Both New Forest District Council and the Court of Verderers are based here.
The Verderers meet in the King’s House, the principal Crown-owned building in the Forest, which is called the Queen’s House when a queen is on the throne. George III was the last monarch to stay there, in June 1789. The court was set up under the New Forest Act 1877 to regulate commoning and look after the Forest’s character, and members of the public can attend its Open Court and raise Forest matters with the Verderers.
On the High Street, St Michael and All Angels Church has a fresco by Lord Leighton and stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones. Alice Liddell, who inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice, lived in and around the village for most of her life, and her ashes are buried in its churchyard. Sharing her name earns me the odd comment at an injury assessment.
Places you’ll know
- The King’s House and Verderers’ Hall
- Grade II* listed Crown building where the Verderers’ Open Court normally sits at 10am on the third Wednesday of the month (December is committee-only). Visitors are welcome.
- St Michael and All Angels Church
- Grade I listed High Street church built 1858-68 to William White’s design, with a Leighton fresco, Burne-Jones glass and Alice Liddell’s resting place in the churchyard.
- New Forest Heritage Centre
- Museum, library and archive run by the New Forest Heritage Trust, home to the New Forest Embroidery and open daily.
- Bolton’s Bench
- The hill at the village’s edge that local folklore says was once the body of a slain dragon.
Staying active
Fairways, forest rides and tennis courts
Living beside 220 square miles of National Park makes it easy to get moving. Forestry England’s waymarked cycle network runs to more than 100 miles, much of it traffic-free, linking the main villages across the Forest. Walkers are free to ramble across the unfenced land, and the National Park’s walking festival comes each October. Closer to home there’s Lyndhurst Lawn Tennis Club, founded in 1926, and the New Forest Golf Club on Southampton Road, while village football goes back to 1885, when Lyndhurst FC was founded. On match day, sports taping supports an ankle or knee, and clubs can book pitch-side and event first aid cover.
Miles of uneven forest track leave knees and ankles complaining, long rides stiffen lower backs, tennis and golf bring on elbow pain, and football means hamstring pulls and turned ankles. I often pair hands-on sports massage with a rehabilitation plan to follow at home between rides, rounds and matches. Then strength and conditioning takes over, so you start next season stronger.
How I can help
- Rehabilitation From £45
An ankle turned on a rutted forest track or a shoulder worn down by a season of serving gets an assessment first, then a plan you can work on between visits.
- Sports Massage From £30
A round on Southampton Road, a long ride out from the village or an evening on the tennis club courts all load hips, backs and shoulders, and regular massage is a practical way to look after them.
- Strength & Conditioning From £50
Before you make the drive to Hythe, we can go over your goals for the walking, cycling or tennis season ahead in a free online consultation, which is always the first step.
Also available: Injury Assessment, Myofascial Cupping, Sports Taping, Pitch-side & Event First Aid.
Getting here
Getting to the clinic from Lyndhurst
Hythe lies almost due east of Lyndhurst, about 7.6 miles in a straight line and roughly 10 miles and 19 minutes by car. Depending on your sat-nav, you may be sent across the open forest on the B3056 past Beaulieu Road station, where it’s worth giving the ponies plenty of room, or round by the A35 through Ashurst to Totton and then south on the A326 past Marchwood. You’ll find me close to the landward end of Hythe Pier, at 3A Ferryboat House, Pylewell Road, Hythe SO45 6AR.
There’s no railway station in the village, so public transport means a change. The nearest station is Ashurst New Forest, about three miles away. By bus, morebus’s New Forest Breezer 86, which morebus lists as a seasonal route, stops on Queens Road on its way between Lymington and Southampton, calling at Ashurst and Totton. From Totton or Southampton, Bluestar route 8 runs on to Hythe through Hounsdown, Pooksgreen and Applemore, and route 9 also comes through Hythe from Southampton. The Hythe Ferry from Southampton isn’t running at the moment. Check the current timetable with the operator before you set off.
I see people by appointment only. Book online (opens in a new tab), send an enquiry or email mendandmovest@outlook.com.
Also close by: Minstead, Emery Down, Bank, Swan Green, Ashurst, Brockenhurst, Beaulieu, Beaulieu Road, Cadnam, Totton, Marchwood, Lymington, Southampton.
Postcodes covered
- SO43
- The village plus parts of Minstead, Bramshaw, Copythorne and Totton & Eling parishes
- SO43 7
- The village centre, in the Lyndhurst & Minstead ward
Services & pricing
Prices
The same prices apply wherever you travel from.
Treatment & assessment
Rehabilitation & extras
Programme costs may vary depending on individual requirements. Please enquire for current availability and appointment location.
Price list with full detailsGood to know
Questions from Lyndhurst
- Can I get to Hythe from Lyndhurst without a car?
- When the Breezer is running, yes, though not on a single bus. Take the New Forest Breezer 86 towards Southampton, then change at Totton onto Bluestar route 8, or in the city onto route 8 or 9, both of which reach Hythe. Check the current timetable with the operator for each leg and leave enough time for the change before your appointment.
- Could you be pitch-side for a football or tennis fixture in the village?
- Yes, pitch-side and event first aid is the part of my work that comes to you, and I’ve trained for it with PHICIS Level 2 (Pre-Hospital Immediate Care in Sport), an England Rugby course. Send the fixture or tournament date and where it’s being played to mendandmovest@outlook.com and I’ll put a quote together.
- I mostly walk and cycle in the forest rather than play sport. Is it still worth booking?
- Definitely. Sore knees from long walks over rough ground, a back that stiffens after a day in the saddle or desk-work tension are worth checking. I’ll find out what’s behind it; a stiff back usually responds to sports massage, with myofascial cupping if it needs more.
Ready to make a start?
Book online in a couple of minutes, or send me a message if you’d like to talk it through first.