New Forest

Start/End: Brockenhurst Railway Station. Grid ref. SU301020. Postcode SO42 7TW what3words ///fulfilled.gladiator.corkscrew On this ride you begin in Brockenhurst and travel through an area of the National Park rich in plants, animals and history on quiet gravel tracks. A spectacular cycle under the tallest trees in the Park.   Back of the station   Starting at the Railway Station ticket office. Head towards the back of the car park where there is an access gate on the right hand side.   Avenue Road   Go through this access gate and turn left onto East Bank Road, and then take the next right down Avenue Road.   Sway Road   At the bottom of Avenue Road, turn left onto Sway Road and continue until you see Brockenhurst Primary School on the opposite side of the road.   Right at the school   At the school turn right, go through the school car park and onto the narrow gravel track (waymarker 233) that takes you through Culverley Green and over a small weir.    Left then right over the road on North Weirs   The gravel track takes you to Burley Road (waymarker 234) where you carefully take a left and then right, to continue on the gravel path (waymarker 235). Follow this wide gravel track until it ends at Rhinefield road (waymarker 236).    Left onto Rhinefield Road   Take a left onto Rhinefield Road. Continue along past Aldridgehill Inclosure on your right. The edges of the road are uneven in places so please take care.   Rhinefield House Hotel   The road becomes wooded on both sides, keep going until you pass Rhinefield House Hotel on your left.  Caution: there is a sharp bend in the road.   Left onto cycle track   Just after the 90 degree bend in the road a small cottage is visible on the left side. Take a turning just before the cottage onto a cycle track (waymarker 241).   Ford   The track continues straight ahead (past waymarker 242). Rounding the first right there is a downhill section towards a ford. Caution: ford may be impassable in very saturated conditions. (To re-route if necessary, return to Rhinefield Road and continue past Black Water car park until waymarker 248 where you turn onto the off-road track).   Across Rhinefield Road   Continue up the hill (past waymarker 243 and 244).  Caution: the track crosses over Rhinefield Road (waymarker 245/248).   Left at crossroads   The gravel track continues through a few turns arriving at a crossroads (waymarker 250). Take a left-hand turn following the track until a gate (waymarker 253). Toilet stop: if you wish to make a detour to use a toilet or picnic benches, take a right at the crossroads  at waymarker 250. To then return to the route come back the same way and continue straight ahead at waymarker 250 until the gate at waymarker 253.   Deer sanctuary   The route opens out with heathland on both sides. Shortly after the woodland resumes, there is a deer sanctuary on your left. After passing this there is another gate (waymarker 254).   Right-hand fork   Continue along the gravel track (past waymarker 255 and 256). At the next gate (waymarker 257) take the right-hand fork where the track splits at a triangle (waymarker 258). There is another gate to go through.    Right at T-junction   The gravel track continues (waymarker 259 and 260). At the next T-junction (waymarker 262) take a right turn.    Past Black Knowl   There is another gate to go through (waymarker 263) and then the gravel track crosses the Lymington River and follows the edge of an area known as Black Knowl (waymarker 264).    Onto a minor road   The gravel track ends at a minor road (waymarker 265). Head straight along this road, round a corner (waymarker 239) and up to Rhinefield Road (waymarker 238 and 237) that leads into Brockenhurst.   Left towards the village   Take a left towards Brockenhurst. Follow this road past Forest Park Hotel and continue until there is a ford on the left. Caution: ford can be high in adverse weather, there is a footpath around if needed.   Over the watersplash ford   Turn left to travel through ford and through the centre of Brockenhurst Village. At the end of this road take a right up into Brockenhurst Railway Car Park.

Start/End: Start: Queens Head Pub. Grid ref. SU211030. Postcode BH24 4AB what3words ///nowadays.warned.backdrop Burley is a fascinating village and this ride helps you explore it in detail, from the folklore of witches to the legend of smuggling.   Woods Corner   After passing Woods Corner car park on your left, continue along the road until you reach Mill Lane. Turn right here and head along the road towards Bisterne Close.   Mill Lane   As you progress along Mill Lane the village peters out and the open forest reveals itself Caution: As you continue along Mill Lane there are two fords to cross, however the water is rarely deep.   Bennetts Lane   At the end of Mill Lane at the T-junction turn left onto Bennetts Lane and follow the lane around and up to the right   The White Buck   Continue along Bennetts Lane past the White Buck pub on your right around a few bends past a few road junctions. Optional: if you are staying at the Burley YHA this is located down the gravel track that is immediately after the White Buck pub on your right. If you are starting this route from the YHA turn left out of entrance and follow gravel track towards White Buck. At the end of the grvael track turn right onto Bennetts Lane.   Holmsley Passage   At the crossroads, continue straight over onto Holmsley Passage. This fantastic road takes you through the open heathland and has some spectacular views as you meander downhill to the old railway Caution: please take care crossing the main road as it can be very busy   The old railway   At the bottom of the valley there is a solitary house, the old railway line passes just in front. Turn right here at wooden waymarker 159 onto the cycle network. This stretch is care free so enjoy, but please respect other users of the track such as pedestrians and horse riders.   Barbush carpark   After crossing a bridge with a metal centre piece keep following the old railway line until you arrive at a low wooden fence across the path. At this point take the small single track off to the right, into Burbush car park. At the wooden waymarker 157 take a right turn out of the car park onto Pound Lane. Be careful as you are now sharing the road with cars again.   Castle Hill Lane   Continue along Pound Lane for a while. Shortly after an uphill corner and a short downhill, there is a track called Castle Hill Lane to the left that almost comes back on you and is easy to miss. Take a left onto this off-road track at wooden way marker Continue up the hill, past a traffic barrier and a few houses until the view opens out on the left.   Castle Hill   As you continue along this gravel track you will reach the high point not surprinsly called Castle Hill; on a good day you can see all the way to Bournemouth and beyond. If you’re lucky you may see a plane on final approach to land at Hurn airport. Continue along the off-road track, as you travel down a long hill, ignore any turnings and follow the track round to the left at all times. Caution: at the end of the hill there is a 4-way traffic junction so watch your speed. At this busy junction turn right and head back into the village of Burley via Ringwood Road being careful of road traffic.   Forest Road   Continue along Ringwood Road for a short distance before turning left onto Forest Road Caution: as you progress along Forest Road there is a ford with a bridge alongside to use if necessary; however the water level is usually. As the road bends round to the right the landscape opens out.   Chapel Lane   Keep heading along Forest Road until you come to a triangle junction, take the right onto Chapel Lane and over the bridge and follow the road back to the Queens Head in the centre of Burley. Note: to get back to the YHA take a left onto Lyndhurst road and follow steps 1 - 4.