Magazine Winter 2011 Plan Your Walk
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magazine winter 2011 magazine winter 2011 Southern England Southern England 09 Brockenhurst, Hampshire 10 Osmington, Dorset 09/11/2011 14:40 l Distance 18km/11 miles l Time 5-6hrs l Type Woodland and heath l Distance 20km/12½ miles l Time 6hrs l Type Downland NAVIGATION FITNESS NAVIGATION FITNESS 2 LEVEL 2 1 LEVEL 1 2 LEVEL 2 2/3 LEVEL 2/3 Plan your walk Plan your walk Southampton Dorchester l l Lyndhurst Martinstown l l l LyndhurstTHE NEW Abbotsbury FOREST l OSMINGTON P l Balmerlawn TRO DORSET L BROCKENHURBRSTOCKENHURST AR B Weymouth A N l LAMY The Solent O A l HY: FI HY: HY: HY: P P WHERE: Circular walk from WHERE: Linear walk Brockenhurst to Bank, via starting from Osmington Black Knowl and the Tall to Abbotsbury along the PHOTOGRA Tree Trail. PHOTOGRA South Dorset Ridgeway. START/END: Brockenhurst The New Forest is one of the the forest enclosure and over START: The Sunray pub, The South Dorset Ridgeway, 1. START From the main train station (SU302019). largest-surviving swathes of Bolderford Bridge’s boardwalk Osmington (SY725828). 27km/17 miles long, is the road outside the Sunray pub TERRAIN: Woodland tracks ancient forest in South East across the Lymington River. Turn L END: Abbotsbury, bus stop new name for what used to (SY725828), head down Church and heathland trails. The England. For centuries it was a at the gate for the cycle path to opposite the Ilchester Arms be known as the Inland Coast Lane through the picturesque trails can get lost, so a royal hunting ground, and then Lyndhurst on to a woodland (SY576854). Path. It’s an alternative to village of Osmington. Pass the compass is recommended. a major source of ship-building footpath. Keep in sight of the TERRAIN: Well-signed a stretch of the South West church and continue up the track MAPS: Explorer OL22; timber for the Royal Navy. It has boundary fence on your R and downland ridge-top trail, Coast Path between West to the top of White Horse Hill. Landranger 195 & 196. a patchwork of mixed forestry, follow it northwest, turning R at following the South Dorset Bexington and Osmington The White Horse is a figure of GETTING THERE: South open heath and unenclosed the fence’s far corner (SU287045). Ridgeway. Mills, taking an inland route King George III – a regular visitor West Trains operates pasture accessible straight off MAPS: OS Explorer OL15; and avoiding the built-up area to Weymouth – on horseback, from London to Weymouth, the train at Brockenhurst. 3. Continue following the Landranger 194. around Weymouth. It’s a very which was cut into the chalk in Southampton or footpath along the fence-line and GETTING THERE: Trains to fine walk in its own right, with the early 19th century. The view Bournemouth, stopping 1. START From Brockenhurst turn L at the second track that Weymouth, then take the good views seawards from from the top is a splendid one, at Brockenhurst station (SU302019), turn L down branches L by a gate on your R. Jurassic Coast bus service the ridges and a wealth of with the sweep of Weymouth (✆ 0845 748 4950, www. Brookley Road, past The Foresters The path goes over two brooks X53 between Exeter and ancient monuments – notably Bay, the Isle of Portland and the southwesttrains.co.uk). Arms on your R, over a cattle grid and through a gate before Poole via Weymouth, with tumuli and barrows, as well harbour to the south. EATING & DRINKING: There and the junction to the shops heading up on to Hursthill stops at Abbotsbury and as henges and stone circles. are lots of options along the along Brookley Road. Head to Inclosure. Turn R where you meet Osmington (✆ 0871 200 The Hardy Monument on Black 2. Turn L along the grassy ridge- village high street (Brookley the ford at the top of the street with the surfaced track and then 2233, www.traveline.info). Down marks the highest point top route, enjoying the fine Road). In Brockenhurst, and turn R. Follow the road past L off the track after 30m on to a EATING & DRINKING: of the route, and is one of a views and passing a number of there’s The Foresters a church on your R to pick up footpath heading north through The Sunray, Osmington number of excellent viewpoints tumuli and barrows. Follow the Arms (✆ 01590 623397, a well-surfaced footpath at bracken. Go straight over the (✆ 01305 832148, www. on the walk. This route omits signs for Bincombe (via Green www.newforestonline.biz/ the junction with Meerut Road junction with the track and head the-sunray.co.uk); several the beginning and end of the Hill). A broad chalk track along forestersarms) and The (SU295027), which heads north for a kissing gate at a T-junction teashops and pubs in South Dorset Ridgeway, starting the south side of Bincombe Hill Thatched Cottage (✆ 01590 over the expanse of lawn and with another footpath (SU287058). Abbotsbury, including the instead at Osmington and leads to Bincombe, passing the 623090, www.thatched- scrub that makes up Black Knowl. Ilchester Arms (✆ 01305 finishing in the lovely village of village church (worth a look). cottage.co.uk), or try The 871243) and the Old ▲ ▲ 4. Go through the gate and Abbotsbury, from where you can Continue along the road and 2. Stay ahead on the path into follow the path through Gritnam ▼ catch the bus back to the start. take the first R, which leads you ▼ 57-58 Southernroutemaster_Walk33.indd 1 57-58 Southernroutemaster_Walk33.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymap Ordnance Surveymap Continued... 5 Oak Inn at Bank (✆ 023 8028 2350, www.fullers.co.uk). ping ©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Map not to scale. ping ©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 SLEEPING: The four-star 4 Representation of OS Landranger MAP 194 Careys Manor hotel 7 1:50,000 (✆ 01590 623551, www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk www.careysmanor.com) is 6 offering walk readers a 4 special New Forest Walk & Map not to scale. 3 Representation of Spa package for group OS Explorer MAP OL 22 FINISH bookings, including guided 1:25,000 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk 2 walk, lunch and spa treatment. Visit www. 8 careysmanor.com/ramblers. VISITOR INFORMATION: 3 1 Lyndhurst & New Forest TIC, START High Street (✆ 023 8028 2269, www.thenewforest.co.uk). GUIDE BOOKS: Walks Around the New Forest National Park by New Forest Ramblers (£3.50, send a cheque to The Ramblers, New Forest Group, 5 West up to a road junction at the Portesham. Continue on the path Road, Bransgore, Dorset 9 2 Continued... corner of Came Wood. Turn L that heads down into the woods BH23 8BQ); Hampshire with and after about 500m take the and turn R at the south-west Schoolhouse Tearooms & Tea the New Forest and South 1 START bridleway on the L through the corner. The Hell Stone marks Garden (✆ 01305 871808). Downs National Parks FINISH field, passing two tumuli on the the location of a Neolithic long SLEEPING: Hotels and B&Bs in (Pathfinder Guide) by R. Continue across Bincombe barrow, the earliest type of southwesterly path through junction with three gravel tracks and around Weymouth, and David Foster (£11.99, Down towards the A354. At the barrow. (The round barrows are Brinken Wood. Keep to the route (SU274048) to head southeast. several B&Bs in Abbotsbury. Crimson Publishing, road, go R and walk alongside from the Bronze Age.) There over a raised track and brook and Self-catering options include ISBN 978 1854585523). it to the bridge. Cross over and are more fine views on this last LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: through a gate on to a forest track. 8. The track bends R, then L. Then, Holcombe Valley Cottages, follow the path, which curves leg – especially from White Hill – Keep ahead over a junction until before it bends R again, turn L on near White Horse Hill New Forest Ramblers north and then west. over the coast, Chesil Beach and ✆ you meet with the road known as to a path, passing through a gate. (✆ 01305 852817, www. ( 01425 627159, www. the Fleet lagoon. St Catherine’s the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive Turn R at the tree margin to follow holcombe-cottages.co.uk). newforestramblers.org.uk). 3. The going is now relatively Chapel, standing on Chapel Hill and turn R. Cross the A35 and a path heading south over a ford VISITOR INFORMATION: straightforward as you follow just to the south of Abbotsbury, Wood, keeping R at a fork to stay follow the road to the Knightwood and out across the heathland of Weymouth TIC, The the fine ridgeway path, passing is a prominent landmark. Turn on a northerly course. At a cattle Oak (SU265064) – at more than 400 Fletchers Green, where herds of Esplanade (✆ 01305 785747, many more tumuli (especially L at a track down White Hill grid at a bend in a road, turn L years, it’s the oldest oak in the New deer often roam at dusk. Aim for www.visitweymouth.co.uk); on Bronkham Hill). Hardy’s and into Abbotsbury, and go R down the road, into Bank and Forest, with a girth of 7.4m/24ft. the cottage ahead (SU281034) and Dorchester TIC, Antelope monument is visible in the along the road. This is one of the The Oak Inn pub on the corner. head up its driveway, taking the Walk (✆ 01305 267992, distance – a distinctive landmark most attractive and historically 7. Retrace your steps to the first L on to a footpath through a www.visit-dorset.com). in the landscape. Carry on until interesting villages in Dorset, 5.