The New Forest is a must see location in the UK and we’re very lucky to have the national park on our doorstep in Hampshire with its beautiful scenery and the free roaming animals, its one for all the family.
Here are 6 must do walks in the New Forest for the summer months that we highly recommend you do!
1. Beaulieu to Bucklers hard
A walk from Beaulieu to Buckler’s Hard
This family friendly walk in this beautiful area of the New Forest is a firm favourite with us. It is a 5 mile walk in total from the village to Buckler’s hard and back and follows a footpath along through countryside and forests with nearby views of the river which it winds past. It normally takes around 45 minutes one way.
The Bucklers hard area is free to enter for the general public, you just pay if you want to enter the museums at the location and there are wide open green spaces to sit and enjoy a picnic or enjoy the nearby pub The Master Builder’s at Buckler’s Hard. There are great views from the grass area of Bucklers Hard Marina and the river itself with yachts sailing past as well as plenty of wildlife. You can also head out on a boat trip from bucklers hard during the summer season, with departures regularly heading out with a voiceover commentry from the boat staff on the facts and history about the river and area.
We enjoyed a tasty coffee and white chocolate hot drink from the family run Pallets Tea & Coffee House – Beaulieu for the start of our walk and on return to the village after the walk, we enjoyed a new forest ice cream from Queens mead Village Shop. Love supporting the local independents and no big chain coffee shops in this village!
Parking – We parked up at the Beaulieu public car park which is pay and display and right in the centre of the village. There are also free public loos be the car park as well as a handy water bottle refill spot.
📍Beaulieu public car park, SO42 7YE
Buggys/wheelchairs – We saw plenty of buggys and it’s a pretty flat footpath.
Route – The route is on the free ‘New Forest Walks’ app which you can download along with plenty of others.
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2. Castle Hill / Frankenbury Hill Fort
Castle Hill walk in the New Forest
A firm favourite for families with young kids, this is a 2.5 mile walk which takes around 1.5 hours and has great views, through forest, past streams, plenty of picnic spot options and of course famous new forest wildlife to observe from afar.
This walk is perfect for all seasons, but definitely worth a visit in May when the bluebells are out and carpet the areas around the trail.
You can find the whole route with gps on the free ‘new Forest walks’ app.
SP62LN for free car park we normally park in or type fighting cocks pub in google@maps for public transport options
If you want to know more here’s a video we made about the walk!
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3. Lymington Marshes
A 7k family walking route at Lymington marshes
This is a brilliant circular walk with plenty on route for kids to keep entertained and enjoy!
We love to grab coffee and pastries from the Saturday market and one of the many pasty shops on the high street and sit in the sunshine on the quayside. We also enjoy a 50p ‘baby cone’ from our fave ice cream takeaway spot at the bottom of the cobbled st towards the quayside.
Walk along the Quayside for river views followed by the coastal marshes of the Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve.
we take a leisurely pace with plenty of stops and it takes us around 3 hours.
📍Start/finish: Lymington Town Railway Station, SO41 9AU or one of the many car parks around the centre, we parked in the one by marks and Spencer’s
Distance: Around 4 miles or 6-7k
Local facilities: Public toilets in Lymington, near St Barbe Museum. Train and bus transport to start of walk
Accessibility: Easy walk along level ground
More info available here – https://www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/…/lymington-marshes/
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If you want a more in depth look at the walk check out this video on our youtube!
4. Blackwater Arboretum
The Tall Trees trail at Blackwater Arboretum, New Forest, Hampshire
This great adventure for families has some of the tallest pine trees in the UK and the kids love gazing up at them dominating the skyline! You can walk past majestic conifers planted in the 1850s, some of the oldest Douglas fir trees in Britain and includes views of two enormous redwoods.
There are a variety of routes including a short 1 mile which is friendly for buggies and wheelchairs etc.
There’s a public toilet in the car park
There are so many picnic tables both next to the car park and also scattered all over the trail with some stunning views and settings.
Make sure you park in designated car parks like the one at SO42 7QB and not on verges.
You can find more info on the Visit the New Forest website here – https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/…/blackwater…/84963101/
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5. Boldre Village
A 4 mile Boldre village walk in the New Forest
Starting at the red lion pub, you can take in some great landscapes and diverse scenes on the walk. Many a woodland we passed through, all with a varied look with their different trees, spotting acorns, funghi, beechnuts and more. Butterflies a plenty, as well as grazing cows and horses in fields with some scenes passable as something from a screensaver backdrop.
We love meandering across different points of the Lymington river with one wooden bridge and Ford in particular being a very photogenic spot as you will see. The new Forest app is great as it has a gps to track you along the way so easy to stay on route and also it gives you points of interest to spot along the way which on this walk included a 17th century country house and a church.
The walk takes us around 2 hours and easy for a 9 and 12 year old as well as small pup, the red lion pub looks ideal for a post trip pint or meal.
📍Outside the Red Lion pub, Boldre SO41 8NE
More info here – https://www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/…/new…/boldre-village/
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6. Holmsley Trail
Holmsley to Brockenhurst Off-Road Route ☀️🐴
It’s just 8 miles and takes in the old railway line which ran between Wimborne and Brockenhurst. We did a slightly extended version heading into Brockenhurst village so total of 15k in the end.
The scenery was stunning, green valleys and open landscapes, wildlife a plenty and we even spotted an adder! First time for us. Plenty of snack stops on route and we also like to head into Brockenhurst villages cute cafes for coffee and cake as well as a well deserved lolly.
Start: Wooton Bridge Car Park – BH25 5TZ. Walk slightly uphill on the road from the car park and you will see the bike trail signs on the right.
🚶Distance: 8 miles on the off road route
Brockenhurst village has great options. The Buttery Brockenhurst
so many lovely areas on route for a picnic
More info and route here –
https://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/…/holmsley-to…
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