Walks in the New Forest

The New Forest is situated in Hampshire, near England’s south coast. Contrary to its name, the area isn’t new at all. This was once a royal hunting ground, where William the Conqueror rode in pursuit of deer and wild boar. Today, the area covers 145 square miles and offers plenty of walks for a range of abilities. On your travels, keep an eye out for the wild ponies that graze freely here.

Evoking the ancient past are shady woods of oak and beech trees, but the landscape is also characterised by heath. Near the south coast are the reed beds at Lymington, a Site of Special Scientific Interest covering 80 acres. Lepe Country Park, on the southern edge of the New Forest, offers walks along the coast and cliff tops and views to the Isle of Wight.

The New Forest is a popular area and there are lots of good walks. But remember that it’s quite easy to lose your way in woodland; it’s a good idea to take a compass as well as a map.

New Forest



Help

You can use these pages to browse for walks in specific regions, counties and areas. It is a good idea to narrow down your search to the most local area possible, as the list of walks for larger areas can be very long. An alternative way of searching is to use the Find a Walk tool.

We would like to include a short article for each of the areas on these pages. If an area has no article and you can send us a few hundred words about the area, pointing out its key attractions and other useful information, we would greatly appreciate it.