The 10 best hikes in the New Forest National Park

The 10 best hikes in the New Forest National Park

The best hikes in the New Forest National Park reveal a piece of English landscape

Despite its name, the New Forest is neither new nor a big forest. The region was first declared the conqueror to the royal hunting ground by Wilhelm in 1079 and the landscape is rather Heideland (the most extensive remaining area in Europe) as a coherent forest area. The word "forest" actually comes from the old French for "hunting area".

Apart from contradictions, the park houses forest areas, which consist of both locals and non -local trees. There are avenues and groves of Victorian firs and mammoth trees and groves with ancient oaks and yews, which are believed to be over 1,000 years.

Picturesque villages are connected by a network of attractive hiking and cycle paths that show a variety of wild animals and landscapes. Wild ponies and five types of deer roam the pretty bushland, while the park in the south is limited by a 42 km long coast, which is littered with cotton areas and salt marshes.

Our guide to the best hikes in New Forest National Park offers 10 great opportunities to explore this rare and extraordinary landscape.

Best hikes in the New Forest National Park

There are a total of 15 national parks in Great Britain. The New Forest in Hampshire, founded in 2005, is the second youngest national park in the country and one of the best accessible when you consider that it is only an hour and a half from London.

Below we share the best hikes in the New Forest National Park, from a cozy walk through a game protection area to a more demanding section of the Solent Way.

Further information on activities and accommodation in the New Forest can be found on the website of the national park.

1. Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary Walk

Distance: 2.7km (1.7mi) Duration: 1 Stundschwigzigung: Light

Atlas & BootsA herd deer in the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary

This short and sweet circular hike leads to the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary, where hikers are guaranteed the best view of deer throughout the park. There is a specially built platform with a view of a large meadow, just a short walk from the parking lot.

There are three hiking trails in the area - all accessible to wheelchair users - which meander between some of the highest trees in the New Forest, including non -domestic firs and mammoth trees as well as endemic beeches and oaks. Bolderwood also has a large designated picnic area.

From April to September, the deer are fed by rangers every day between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., which offers a great opportunity to take pictures.

2. Denny wood

Distance: 4.7 km (3 miles) Duration: 1-2 hourly difficulty: Light

Triple H pictures/shutterstockDenny Wood in autumn

This enchanting walk takes you through a number of typical New Forest scenes in the interior. First crosses the path open Heideland before leading past some burial mounds. (For the laypersons below us, a tumulus is a burial mound from the Bronze Age.)

The path continues over a pedestrian bridge and through a series of small forests before returning to the Beaulieu Road Station, where the nearby Drift Inn ensures a perfect refreshment after the walk.

In autumn, pay close attention to herds of roaring women and red deer when you start your annual rush.

3. Rheinfeld and Vinney Ridge

Distance: 4.8 km (3 miles) Duration: 1-2 hourly difficulty: Light

Willy Barton/ShutterstockThe entrance to the Blackwater Arboretum

The Rhinefield Ornamental Drive is a narrow street that is lined with a mixture of large rhododendrons and azaleas as well as 50 m high mammoth trees and high -towering Douglasia, which were planted by the Victorians in the 1850s.

After you followed the trip from the Blackwater car park, the path makes a loop to the left and leads over a wooden arch to the Blackwater Arboretum, then crosses the Blackwater River before going back to the parking lot.

The way is best to go at the end of May or early June if the rhododendrons are in full bloom.

4. From Keyhaven to Hurst Castle

Distance: 7.2km (4.5mi) Duration: 1-2 hourly difficulty: light

Ryan Kempster/ShutterstockFrom Keyhaven to Hurst Castle is one of the best hikes in New Forest National Park

This unique coastal hike leads you to Hurst Castle, which was built by Henry VIII between 1541 and 1544 at the sacred end of a coastal tongue. Since the route of the exposed land form follows, you should prepare for an invigorating journey when the wind arises.

The hike begins in the charming village of Keyhaven and follows the bank wall to the southwest before turning along the narrow gravel tongue to the southeast to the Hurst Castle.

Although Keyhaven is technically outside the parking boundaries, the path leads back to the park on the way to Hurst Castle.

5. Burley village

Distance: 7.4km (4.6mi) Duration: Modress: 2-3 hours

Atlas & BootsOne of the hiking trails near Burley

The village of Burley is located in the slipstream of a hill, surrounded by strong oaks and high pines. The village is located in the heart of the national park and offers excellent access to some of the best hiking and bicycle routes as well as a practical bike rental in the village center.

The circular route we have selected is a peaceful path that leads past Castle Hill at a hill fortress from the Iron Age before making a loop and relegating back to the village on the edge of a forest.

On a clear day, the natural cliff offers an impressive view of the park, which is usually covered with grazing ponies, cattle and donkeys.

6. Acres Down and Canadian was memorial

Distance: 9.3km (5.8mi) duration: lightness: 2-3 hours

Luke ____ S/ShutterstockA New Forest Pony near Acres Down

This longer circular route leads hikers through a mixture of forested pine and old and decorative forests and the Canadian was memorial, a simple wooden monument on the side of the road for Canadian soldiers and aviators who were stationed in New Forest during the Second World War.

The hike begins at the Acres Down car park and can be easily expanded to include the Lyndhurst Hill and Swan Green route and/or a visit to the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary.

If Cream Teas are your thing - and you should really - that is what the nearby Acres Down Farm serves some of the best in the country.

7. Lyndhurst Hill and Schwanengrün

Distance: 10.5 km (6.5 miles) duration: lightness: 3-4 hours

Command/ShutterstockA straw -covered house near Lyndhurst

Known as the capital of the New Forest, after Wilhelm founded the royal hunting ground in 1079 in 1079, Lyndhurst was visited over the centuries of kings and queens who stayed in the Royal Manor.

The circular route leads through the further community around Lyndhurst, including Emery Down, Gritnam Wood and the picturesque straw -covered cottages of Swan Green, one of the most photographed places in New Forest.

Today the village is still the administrative heart of the New Forest and a popular stopover with a fine selection of cozy tea stubborns, traditional pubs, cafés, restaurants and an ice cream parlor.

8. Fritham

Distance: 11km (7MI) Duration: 3-4 hourly difficulty: Moderate

Chris Button/ShutterstockA single oak near Fritham

The area around the forested hamlet of Fritham in the north of the New Forest does not receive as many visitors as Brockenhurst, Burley and Lyndhurst, which means that the surrounding paths and levels are generally somewhat calmer.

The footpath meanders through the landscape and leads past a number of forest areas lined with beech and gnarled oaks, the open levels of Ragged Boys Hill and the slod inclosure, home to a shy herd of dam deer.

Most who are taking this walk end up in the award -winning Royal Oak Pub from Fritham, which serves traditional barrel beers and hearty snacks.

9. Brockenhurst and the high trees

Distance: 15.6km (9.6mi) Duration: 3-4 hourly difficulty: Moderate

Chris Button/ShutterstockPonys graze in Brockenhurst

This route is an alternative way to explore the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive. It begins in the charming settlement of Brockenhurst. No trip to the New Forest is completely without a visit to Brockenhurst, which is repeatedly referred to as one of the most beautiful villages in England.

This hiking route can be easily combined with the Rhinefield and Vinney Ridge route mentioned above to visit the Blackwater Arboretum. Another popular alternative is the Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst Loop Walk.

10. Solent-Weg

Distance: 15.7 km (9.7 mi) Duration: 3-4 hourly difficulty: medium-heavy

Alt = "The village and the pond of Beaulieu"Intreegue Photography/ShutterstockThe historical village of Beaulieu

The Solent Way is a 97 km long hiking trail that begins in Milford-on-Sea and ends in Emsworth Harbor. All over its length, the path crosses a variety of landscapes, including the landscape of Hampshire, the Solent and the Isle of Wight.

The section from Lymington to Beaulieu crosses the Lymington River and then runs parallel to the coast. Although it is about a mile away from the sea, the path occasionally releases a look at the busy Solent in the east.

The path then turns inside and follows the Beaulieu River, while crossing forest and circling the idyllic Sowley Pond before reaching the picturesque village of Beaulieu.

Main picture: Nick Brundle Photography/Shutterstock

.