New Forest National Park Walks

Step into one of the most unique walking landscapes in England with a hike through the New Forest, where open heathland, ancient woodland and free-roaming wildlife all come together. This is a place that feels completely different to most UK walking spots, with wide open spaces, quiet trails, and that constant sense of nature just doing its own thing.

Wander out across the forest’s famous heathlands, where ponies, cattle and donkeys roam freely, then dip into shaded woodland tracks that have been here for centuries. Routes around areas like Burley, Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst give you a proper mix of terrain, from gravel tracks and sandy paths to boggy sections and peaceful clearings.

There’s history layered into the landscape too. Once a royal hunting ground created by William the Conqueror, the New Forest still carries that sense of age and tradition, with ancient trees, old enclosures and long-established grazing rights still in place today.

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  Burley to Whitten Pond Circular Walk – New Forest Heathland Loop via Shappen Bottom
  This is a walk that shows off the New Forest at its best, it has wide open heathland, ancient woodland edges, wild ponies roaming freely, and that feeling of space you don’t always get in the south of England. Starting from the village of Burley, the route heads straight out onto the common before drifting into quieter areas like Shappen Bottom and Whitten Pond. It’s not a tough walk, but it’s one you’ll remember for the atmosphere alone.