what3words
When exploring the New Forest you can sometimes lose your way – with miles worth of winding gravel tracks through the trees, and some locations with postcodes that can take you to the wrong place, grid references aren’t for everyone, and many of the most popular and beautiful places to visit simply don’t have any addresses at all. That’s why we’re using what3words to help you find your way around more easily, locate key points faster and to stay safe.
What is what3words?
what3words is a really simple way to talk about precise locations. It has given every 3 metre square in the world a unique combination of three words: a what3words address.
Now, you can find any location with just 3 words. Whether it’s the entrance to a cafe in the forest, the starting point of a walking route, an epic viewpoint or your favourite spot for capturing photos of the New Forest’s free-roaming ponies, everywhere is incredibly easy to find. For example, the what3words address for Bolderwood is ///tickets.picturing.intervene.
Three words to tell 999 your location in an emergency
Over 80% of the UK’s emergency services use and accept what3words addresses to locate 999 callers faster.
As well as packing the correct equipment, wearing appropriate clothing and checking the weather before you head out and about, be prepared by downloading the free what3words app so you can help 999 know exactly where to send help if you get into trouble.
How to use what3words
For each of our points of interest you’ll see 3 word addresses in the format ///word.word.word. To find this place easily, you can download the free what3words app (or use the map site, what3words.com) and enter the 3 words into the search bar.
To get directions to a what3words address, tap ‘navigate’ in the app and use your preferred navigation app (e.g. Google Maps or Waze) to travel to that precise point.
The free what3words app works offline so you can still enter 3 words and find that exact location even without a data connection.
Check-out some of the best starting points for exploring the New Forest : here.
For more information about using the app visit: what3words.com/how-to-use-the-what3words-app.