Looking for a weekend getaway in the countryside? Or maybe you live nearby but don’t know where to go for a walk? Whatever you are after, discover a New Forest walk between Brockenhurst and Burley. From forested areas to open heathlands, from wild horses to cows roaming free, this walk takes you places. Let’s discover New Forest!
If you are looking for a weekend away from the hustle and bustle of London, here is a place where you can easily get to New Forest. With direct trains from Waterloo, enjoy the variety of landscapes, and the diverse fauna and flora the New Forest has to offer.
As this walk is part of a weekend trip, you will find accomodation and restaurant recommendations at the end of this article.
Disclaimer: Hiking groups may be offering the same or similar weekend away in the New Forest. Find out more about these groups here.
Logistics for the Brockenhurst to Burley Walk
- Distance: 9.8 miles (15.7 km)
- Ascent : 702 feet (214 m)
- Walking Estimate : 3 hours and 20 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- How to get there: Direct train from London Waterloo to Brockenhurst. The journey takes 1 hour and a half. Please note that I have done this walk as part of a weekend trip in Newforest and this is the part one of a two parts blog post, therefore you need to stay overnight in Burley, where there is no train station. In the article I also suggest that if you want to make it a day trip, you can stop at Sway and take the train back to London from there.
- What to pack: Comfortable clothing and footwear. A day pack is sufficient for the weekend as you need your thermals, a towel and a sleeping bag liner for the night if you stay in a hostel. For the rest, pack snacks and lunch as well as the essentials such as sunglasses, sunscreen, beanies or ear covers, gaiters if you are going when it is raining. Don’t forget ID for the hostel and money for any expenses.
Highlights of the Brockenhurst to Burley Walk
- Brockenhurst
- Roydon Woods Nature Reserve
- New Forest National Park
- New Forest Heathlands
- Sway Tower
- Horses and Cows
- Set Thorns and Wilverley Inclosures
- The White Buck
- Burley
Brockenhurst to Burley Walk Guide
With tucked-away villages and heathlands, wild ponies in the forest or donkeys walking down the streets, New Forest is full of surprises. Let’s get to it!
Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst is the largest village in the New Forest based on its population. The site was settled during the Bronze Age as showed by the multitude of burial mounds in the area. During the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror created the Nova Foresta in 1079 and used it as a hunt site.
Fast forward to the eighteenth century, the village benefited from the popularity of the nearby town, Lymington. In the nineteenth century, thanks to the opening of a railway station, Brockenhurst became a holiday town. During WWII, Brockenhurst was the site of secret military training. Its tall trees made it easy for the soldiers to hide military vehicles and gear.
Nowadays, Brockenhurst is the heart of the New Forest area, with a county show that attracts 90,000 visitors each year.
Getting out of Brockenhurst
Our walk starts in the village of Brockenhurst, New Forest. As you come out of the train station, take left onto East Bank Road. When you reach the end of the road, take the path on your left, leading to a footbridge over the rail tracks. Cross over the bridge and continue straight until you reach Lymington Road. Take left and follow the road and as it merges with Church Lane, make a U-turn onto Church Lane. You then pass in front of St Nicholas Church, the oldest church in Brockenhurst.
Continue a little bit further down Church Lane and you then find a footpath on your left side. Take this path which leads you straight to Roydon Woods Nature Reserve.
Roydon Woods and Heathlands
The 1000 acres of Roydon Woods are the home of varied fauna and flora. This Site of Special Scientific Interest is the home of 350 species of wildflowers, ancient trees, birds and butterflies as well as mammals like deer and foxes. If you are going during Springtime, you can enjoy the view of the forest’s ground carpeted in bluebells.
Walk alongside the footpath into the woods until you reach the edge. Then take the path on your right and continue walking in the forest. When you exit Roydon Woods, you come face to face with Lymington Road we crossed earlier on. Time to do the same and walk back across Lymington Road, but in the opposite direction.
Once on the other side of the road, you set foot on the famous New Forest heathlands. This man-made landscape is easily recognisable by its purple and yellow colours coming from the heather and gorse.
As you walk in the heathland, you can see horses roaming and cows grazing freely.
When you come to the end of the heathland, you find the village of Sway.
Sway
The village of Sway in the south part of the New Forest National Park is famous for its tower. Built between 1879 and 1885, this 66 metres tall Grade II listed building was the first one built entirely in concrete in Britain and the only one in the world built in non reinforced concrete. The tower was born from the imagination of Andrew Peterson, an eccentric barrister who thought the spirit of late British architect Christopher Wren was living inside him. The design was inspired by the follies he saw during his stay in India.
Sway has a train station with direct trains to London Waterloo, so you can stop here and make your way home. But if you want to continue walking, keep reading.
As you pass by the north of the village, you enter a forested area called Set Thorns Inclosure. You find 3 camping sites, ideal if you want to extend your stay in the New Forest for the weekend and you came with your tent.
When you get to the edge of the woods, you re-enter the heathland. Walk across the site until you reach Station Road. On the opposite side of the road is the forested area of Wilverley Inclosure. Walk across the woods and when you reach the edge, cross over the A35.
We are now near the end of our walk.
Burley
On the other side of the A35, you enter the final heathland site of this day walk. It gets a bit hilly, but nothing very difficult. As you walk through the last stretch of this hike, you can see military planes flying over your head.
It is time to leave the footpath behind and share the road with cyclists. What a surprise on this path to find a pilar in the shape of a tree. Very clever cover for what would normally be classed as a man-made eyesore!
When you reach the crossing with Homsley Passage, take the road to your right. A little bit further down is the White Buck hotel restaurant, where we stop for dinner. Built at the beginning of the twentieth century, this former country house was then used as a hospital during WWII. Left in despair it was bought by John Loose who began the restoration and turned it into a hotel. The name came as one day, cycling home he saw a white Fallow deer in the woods. In a charming and cosy atmosphere, enjoy a well deserved three-course meal.
The Youth hostel, YHA New Forest, where we stay for the night is a bit further down on Cott Lane. If you arrive too early for check-in, don’t worry the Queen’s Head pub is only a short walk away!
Bon appetit!
Brockenhurst to Burley Walk Map
Do you want to take a walk in the New Forest? Download the map of the Brockenhurst to Burley walk by clicking on the button below. Check my guide to learn how to upload it on your navigation app by clicking here.
Final thoughts on the Brockenhurst to Burley Walk
If you are looking for outdoor weekend getaway ideas, check my weekend camping post below:
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[…] check the first part of the weekend away, click here. As the first walk ends in Burley, this is where I start this one. Of course you can do it the […]