Moors, Meres and Manors from Brockenhurst to Beaulieu - A New New Forest Walk
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I invite you to come on this rather long but flat hike to take my mind off my return to the classroom! Moors: Vast, blank expanses of heathland, disquieting and liberating in equal measure. These heaths will contrast with the classic dense oak and birch woodlands with gravel paths snaking through them. Meres: Plentiful picturesque ponds with ponies a-paddling. These include Hatchet Pond (the largest body of freshwater in the forest) and Mill Pond (which has Palace House at Beaulieu as a backdrop). Manors: Big estates amid the common land, chief among them Beaulieu. Palace House sits on an idyllic spot on the river, and the village, where there are a good few cafes, is where we'll have lunch.
The sights:
The New Forest: Neither new, nor wholly a forest. Our second-newest National Park is one of the largest remaining expanses of open pasture land, heathland and woodland in the country. Whereas other royal forests such as Arden, Dean, Epping, Sherwood and Windsor are just fragments, the New Forest occupies roughly the same area as it did in the days of its founder, William the Conqueror. Part of its character are centuries-old traditions including the rights of commoners to collect resources and graze their cattle and ponies (and pigs - a practice called called 'pannage'). The range of lowland habitats, lost elsewhere, which have survived are rich in wildlife: heathland birds such as the Dartford warbler, curlew, nightjar, stonechat, redstart and tree pipit, and there are woodland birds such as the wood warbler, hobby and buzzard; reptiles and amphibians, all three native snakes, sand lizards and the great crested newt; and wild mammals include numerous deer and the European otter.
Hatchet Pond: The New Forest’s largest body of fresh water and home to some of the rarest wetland plants and animals including the great crested newt and medicinal leech. lt has the highest possible conservation status as both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area for Conservation. To reduce the risk of pollution, there are no facilities at the pond and dogs are not permitted in the water.
East Boldre: A straggling linear village with a Victorian church (St Paul). Over thirty Bronze Age (2500-1200 BC) barrows lie within the parish. The village was called Beaulieu Rail, as it had grown up along the wooden railings defining the western boundary of the Manor of Beaulieu. An airfield was built in East Boldre in 1910. In 1942 a three runway airfield, RAF Beaulieu, was built on the opposite side of the road. The film director Ken Russell and his fourth wife lived in a thatched cottage in the village until the cottage burned down in 2006.
Beaulieu: At the heart of a 2800 hectare (7000 acre) estate is National Motor Museum, gardens, abbey ruins and Palace House. Founded by King John in 1204 on an idyllic spot on a bend in the Beaulieu River (the name is a Frenchification of the Latin 'Bellus Locus' or 'beautiful place'), the abbey is Cistercian, of which the cloisters and dormitory remain. The abbey gatehouse and guest accommodation was converted into a manor house by the Wriothesleys, Earls of Southampton after the Dissolution. It was rebuilt in a French chateau style in the C19 by Sir Arthur Blomfield. The immaculate village of red brick and timber-farming is very pleasant. There is much C19 mock-Tudor, but the Tidal Mill is largely 1711 and Old Bank House is from 1684. We'll have lunch in the village where you can buy food at a choice of cafes or eat your own.
The route (please click the link to see it):
The folk who parked at Tilery Road Car Park will walk along Balmer Lawn Road and collect the folk who parked at Ivy Wood Car Park. We'll head east through various wooded inclosures: Perrywood Ivy, New Copse, Ladycross and Hawkhill using paths and trails. At Moon Hill, we'll head south, then east, and walk a little way along the B3055 to Hatchet Pond. At the mill we'll head east, parallel with Hatchet Lane and following a footpath alongside it for much of the way into Beaulieu. After lunch we'll reverse our route, but at Bunker Hill, follow a footpath across fields to East Boldre. We'll head west, crossing Bagshot and Hatchet Moors to Lodge Heath and Perrywood Ironshill Inclosure. At Ivy Wood Car Park we'll bid farewell to some and head back to Tilery Road.
Dogs:
I love having dogs on my walks and this walk is suitable for those with good stamina. The livestock are free-range and there are a few roads to walk along and cross. A dog off the lead must be under control.
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(All photos were taken by the leader.)
What to bring
Wear well-fitting walking boots and thick socks to cope with the length, although the walk is fairly flat. If August has been wet, there could be some boggy patches. Wear clothing appropriate to the weather.
Most of the outward route is in woodland and hence shade; most of the return route in the open, so wear a high-factor sun cream if the sun is shining.
Food & drink
You are advised to bring a packed lunch, but you could get something in the village of Beaulieu, such as at Steff's Kitchen or the Beaulieu Bakehouse.
Bring enough to drink and eat to sustain you on the walk, especially as lunch will be late, about 2pm. There are also pubs in Brockenhurst for a drink before folk get trains.