Nice Walks in New Forest

[muchlovex]

Just moved to Hampshire. Can anyone recommend any nice walks in the New Forest please?

[woofgang]

which bit? its a BIIIIIIG place

[tigerlelly]

The ornamental drive near Brockenhurst is wonderful in the autumn but there are lots of lovely walks. If you visit the Tourism centre in Lyndhurst they should have leaflets or a little book featuring the most popular walks

[ttfn]

There are so many to choose from. You will find various publications to sift through including those by the Forestry Commission. I have never yet got lost in the NF though I have tried to several times! I would certainly recommend you get an OS map to start with and try to break down various areas to visit. Please be aware of the rules - you don't say if you have a dog to walk - and watch out for the wild life from ponies and cattle to deer and vipers. I am sure you will have some wonderful walks.

[muchlovex]

living in Romsey.

Yes, I went to Lyndhurst tourist office last Sunday and I picked up some nice leaflets. But just wanted to get some other info from ABers. Thank you

[ttfn]

I suppose a lot depends on what you are looking for. Personally I enjoy going to the Ogdens where you can walk deep into the forest away from the roads. Have a look on an OS map and you will see what I am getting at. It is not all covered with forestry, near this sight is Ashley Water where they had practice flights for the bouncing bomb. I prefer to leave the main tourist-attracted areas alone because I improve my chances of seeing undisturbed wild life.

[woofgang]

ttfn, you forgot the pigs. It is possible to get lost in the forest (did it once myself when we first moved here, headed for the sound of traffic and followed the road back to the carpark) A couple of years ago a lady visitor got lost and was found after 24 hours stuck hip deep in a bog about 10 mins from the road...the searchers who are locals missed her twice :-( so its worth being careful.

there are too many google links to post so here is the search page.
http://uk.search.yaho...lks+in+the+new+forest
You should also be careful about ticks
http://www.newforest....ex.cfm?articleid=5561
and stable (crab) flies
http://uk.images.sear...n9auoj&sigb=134lnk6bl
these are horrible they get on you and dogs and horses and bite...very hard to remove.

[ttfn]

How could I forget the porcine population woofgang? One old sow fell in love my Newfoundland one day - thought I was going to bring her home in the car too!!
I have been blessed with an inbulit sense of direction too - and at least I can spot the bogs!

[VHG]

I did the "tall trees" walk. This takes you past a lot of trees that were planted in the victorian times and are now some of the tallest of their type in the UK.

http://www.thewwwsite.com/walk2.htm

[Canary42]

As already stated, there are lots and lots of lovely walks there.

One of my favourites is to start from Cadnams Pool (grid ref SU 230122) and head into the trees opposite the pond (in a northerly or north-westerly direction) and go steadily downhill until you reach a delightful forest stream.

Be very careful if you cross the stream - there are some very boggy bits - I once plunged in above the knee, fortunately my other leg was still on firm ground and I successfully extracted myself after a bit of a struggle.

I also got a bit lost here once - on a day of very weak sun I emerged into a clearing and realised from the sun I was heading in a totally different direction from the one I thought I was. I then used a compass to head south knowing I would at some stage hit the road, which I did some half a mile east of where I expected.

If you leave the beaten tracks, then map and compass are a good idea.

[ttfn]

VHG - the 2 tallest tress - Giant Sequoia Wellingtonia can easily be seen from the road that runs from the Naked Man down to Brockenhurst. There are not too many such landmarks around. There is the Knightwood Oak on the otherside of the A35 from the Ornamental Drive, still growing after maybe 600 years, with a girth of over 24 feet. Keep going on the same road and you will across a deer sanctuary with a purpose built hide for free use (not that it should be necessary - there are many deer in the NF to spot at any time of day/night)