Lyndhurst to Brockenhurst (and back again)

Distance: 9 miles approx
Parking: Parc Pale car park, Lyndhurst
Map: OL22 New Forest
Map ref for car park: SU307079

(Diversion inadvertently created by myself)

This is a lovely walk, taking in some of the best of the New Forest. There is a chance of coming across deer, if you are quiet and do not stray off the paths or let dogs run off the lead. Be careful to give ponies and cattle plenty of space, and do not feed or try to pet the ponies.

From the car park, climb up the sandy bank to the trig point. There are scenic views over the forest to the south along here. Turn right here along a ride through gorse and ferns, which eventually becomes just gorse. Ignore paths to right and left until gorse blocks the way ahead. Turn left here to a parallel ride. When the way forks, take the right fork down to the road.

Head for the “Parkhill Hotel” sign. Cross the road and follow the track to the left of a red post box. Pass the path leading to Parc Pale Cottage and Stable Cottage, and over a stream to an open space. Take the right path alongside the caravan park and pass another cottage to the woodland beyond. Follow the fence into the woodland and keep this fence to your right as the path fades. Take care, as the forest floor here can be very muddy. In approx 250m cross over a wooden bridge and keep following the fence right. The woods soon broaden into a clearing and a gravel track.

Turn left along the gravel track. Ignore a right turn signed Brockenhurst and another to the left. Your way comes to a T-junction and open area. Turn right here through a gate and straight over the next two cross-paths. At a third cross-path, which is gravel to left and right and a grass path straight ahead, turn left down a gravel track signed to Brockenhurst. Be aware of possible diversions in this part of the Forest, due to logging. Ignore paths on the left, go straight over crossroads and straight over the Frohawk ride crossroads. The path shortly begins to head uphill to a sharp left bend, ignoring a grass ride on the right. Continue around the bend to a diamond-shaped area.

Bear right on to the grass track. In approx 30m this forks. Take the left fork along a pleasant track across the clearing. Follow this all the way down into the trees on the other side, emerging on to a gravel track. Continue along this and through a gate into Standing Hat car park. Follow the long gravel road to the car park entrance. There is a private road to the right. Either follow this and cross over a three-way stile into the Balmer Lawn Hotel car park, or follow the grass parallel to both just by the Standing Hat car park entrance. Either will bring you to the cricket ground in front of the Hotel.

You need to cross the road to pass through the pedestrian gate out to the A337. Turn right up this busy road until you reach the entrance to Hollands Wood Campsite. Cross the road here to go over a stile on to a path which forks in approx. 30m.

Take the left fork and follow the line of the river, passing a bridge. This woodland is where I saw a small herd of red deer on the day I followed this walk. This is idyllic New Forest woodland, with the river running through it.

A fence appears on your right. Follow the line of this fence to Bolderwood Bridge in about ¾ of a mile. The bridge will be on your left along the line of a gravel track. Turn right up the track and bear left on to a grass path before you reach the gate. Where the path forks, take the right hand path, continuing parallel with the river and with a fence on your right. In 400m you come to a bridge. Turn right before the bridge, following the fence line still on your right. This path can also be very muddy. Watch out for the strange “white” forest along here. There are also look-out platforms placed at intervals. These are for Forest rangers and not for public use.

In approx ¾ mile you come to another fence on the left. Continue straight ahead to a gravel track. Go along this following the sign to Lyndhurst.

(This next is the way you are supposed to go:

In approx 400m the gravel track bends left. The open area ahead is Butts Lawn. Bear on to a grassy track to the right on the bend to skirt the Lawn. The path leads over a stream into woodland, across another open space, and then into more woodland. Continue straight ahead eventually meeting a fence on the left just before a gravel track from Coxlease School.

Turn right away from the school towards the main road. At the road, turn left towards Lyndhurst and in 20m turn right through a gate by a cottage. Continue along the hedge to the cottage, then walk left around the hedge to the back of the cottage. The path leads down to the back of the estate, bears right at some green garages with houses to the left to emerge at another gate.

Go through the two gates crossing the track. In 400m the path forks. Take the left fork which bears left to two gates at Beaulieu Road. Cross the road and follow the path back to the sandy bank and down to the car park.)

Actually, my route didn’t go quite this smoothly, owing to a) my inability to tell how far 400m was (I know now!), and b) trying to take a short cut. I ended up at Pinkney Lane and turned back along the cycle track. I knew I had to go left, so I did along a grassy ride. I don’t know if I ever found Coxlease School, but I found a gate and went through it, found some cottages, went through another gate and eventually ended up coming down through the barbecue area of Foxlease Park. I made my way down to the entrance drive and at the end of this, crossed the road and down a lane between houses to the entrance to Clayhill Inclosure. I turned left through the gate and followed this path all the way up. From the written directions above I believe I’d come out where I should have been. The path took me to the gates and Beaulieu Road, where I gratefully followed the path back to the car park.

This walk featured in The Guardian –Life and Health – 12/09/04