Cross the Solent from Lymington and you can ride a genuinely Victorian railway: gas-lit-era carriages and island-built steam locomotives running through five miles of Wight countryside.
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway at Havenstreet is a time capsule — much of its rolling stock is over a century old and beautifully restored, running between Wootton and Smallbrook Junction, where it meets the Island Line trains from Ryde. The museum, engine sheds and woodland walks at Havenstreet make it an easy full day.
Getting there from the New Forest
This is the trip the Lymington branch line was made for: train from Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier, Wightlink ferry across to Yarmouth (about 40 minutes), then bus or drive across the island to Havenstreet. Alternatively, foot passengers can cross from Southampton to Cowes. Either way you can do the whole day out — Forest, Solent crossing, Victorian steam — without a car.