Dog Walks: New Forest from Ober Corner via Standing Hat

Dog Walks: New Forest from Ober Corner via Standing Hat is a lovely route. The majority of the tracks are gravel roads, generally part of cycle routes, however there are some grassy and sandy paths that need to be followed carefully, particularly through the thicker woods, so a definite need to concentrate at times! However following the narrower paths through the woods does help with spotting beautiful wildlife as we were lucky enough to.

Start/finish: Ober Corner Car Park next to Black Knoll, Brockenhurst

Directions:From Brockenhurst Village centre take the Rhinefield Road and just as you emerge from the trees where Brockenhurst Village and Whitefield Moor meet, take the right hand turning, follow this road, over the speed ramps, and on a sharp right hand bend with Black Knoll ahead of you, you will find the Ober Corner Car Park on your left.

Parking:Ober Corner Car Park, Free.

Nearest Public Conveniences:In Whitefield Moor Car Park found just slightly further along the Rhinefield Road on the right, or in Brockenhurst Village Centre.

Approximate Total Mileage: 6 Miles

Terrain: Gravel tracks, sand and grass tracks, river crossing under reconstruction at time of walking so had to cross using adjacent fallen tree. Mainly on the level one easy rise through the trees after New Park Road Crossing.

Description of suitability of and ability: Although the entire walk is not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, there are a lot of gravel tracks in the area from Ober Corner which can be enjoyed by many.

Please keep your dog under strict control as there is livestock roaming free, and there is a lot of wildlife too, particularly deer which we have seen every time in all the locations visited in the New Forest.

Click on the images below to enlarge

Dog Walks: New Forest from Ober Corner via Standing Hat Route:

Standing in the Ober Corner Car Park, walk to the edge of the road and turn left on to the gravel track along the edge of a green area which heads off along the top edge of Black Knoll, there is a marker on the left which states Lyndhurst 4 Miles.

After walking for a little while you will see the track bends slightly left into a more shady area. Follow this main gravel track and you will cross a wide bridge.

Follow the track on and you soon see will come to wooden gates to the right. Pass through the wooden gates and after a few steps take gravel track off to the left, follow this for a very short distance and you will come to another set of wooden gates, pass through these and follow the track, you will pass a cycle route marker on your right. You will stay on this track now for quite some time.

Eventually, you will come to another set of wooden gates, here the main track bears around to the left then splits right or goes straight ahead through another set of gates, here you do not take any of the gravel tracks, but instead, turn immediately right through the gates and follow along a little sandy and grassy footpath through the woodland, here you will walk parallel to the post and wire fence-line on your right.

Keep following the footpath which is running parallel to the fence-line on your right, it does weave a little away from the fence at times but generally still following the same direction. Eventually the path will terminate where it meets a wide grassy track next to a large wooden gate on your right, the gate has an extended section on the top making it very tall. So at this point with the gate on your right you need to turn left and walk a few paces into the small open area which you will come to on your right.

Enter this small open area, and walk down the right side of this area, in the same direction as you were whilst following the fence line, ahead you should hear the road noise from the Brockenhurst to Lyndhurst Road ahead of you. You will then pick up the faint path which leads you on a right handed arc through a shady area to another small open area, here you walk straight across to the other side and pick up the path, you pass two wooden gate posts on your right but do not turn right through them, just keep following the path, you may have to step over a small fallen tree here, the path then leads you out on to the grassy area next to New Park Drive. Turn left on to the drive, and cross over the cattle grid or adjacent gate, cross straight over the main road, take care as this can be very busy, once at the other side pass through the wooden pedestrian gate.

Once through the wooden gate, you need to stand with your back exactly towards the main road and walk an exact and straight line ahead, you will cross a small ditch, and then come to a line of a few trees before you get to the main wood ahead. At this line of a few trees where the ones on the right are the tallest, pass straight ahead and in-between this line of trees and the main wood you will see a track leading either right down into a wood or left running parallel to the wood in a more open area. This is not a footpath but better described as grassy vehicle wheel ruts.

So you turn left on to this track, walking parallel to the wood on your right, after a short distance the wood ends on your right, here you turn right off the track and follow the wood on your right. You need to keep walking straight ahead keeping this wood on your right. After walking straight ahead for a short distance you will come to an open area with trees all around and at the far side of this open area you will see an arched tree touching the ground, aim for this and pass around behind it picking up a short path through trees.

Having passed around behind the arched tree and followed the short path through the trees into the last open area, this open area is small roundish/rectangular area, here you enter this area at the bottom right corner, you need to walk straight ahead keeping to the right edge, you will exit this open area into the trees picking up a footpath.

Follow this footpath for a short distance and your footpath will faintly meet another footpath. At this point you turn left and follow the footpath up the hill. You pass around the edge of a fallen tree which is actually across the path, on the other side continue ahead on the path.

Continue on the path, you will pass by another low branch across the path, keep walking ahead, you are now at the top of the incline and you will see a fence line across to your right, you continue on the grassy path ahead, and soon you will come to a small open area with wooden gates on your right.

Turn right and go through these gates, follow along this track, ahead you will see the cycle marker near where your current track meets another track, here you turn left, although it will feel more like walking straight ahead.

Continue on this track until you come to a large track junction. At this point there is a wide gravel track left and right, but you cross straight over here and follow the grassy track on ahead through the trees.

Continue on this grassy track down through the trees and eventually it will meet other tracks on a corner at a staggered junction, here you do not turn completely right down the gravel track or left along the grassy track, but instead take the wide gravel track which is almost straight ahead.

Follow the gravel track, at the end of the straight you will come to a sweeping right hand bend with various tracks exiting here, however you stay on the main gravel track following it around the sweeping right bend.

At the end of the long straight you will come to wooden gates, and here another wide gravel track comes in sharply from the left. Pass through the gate and continue walking straight ahead on the wide gravel track passing by Standing Hat Car Park on your right. You will follow on this track down the slope and swing right handed.

Follow this track until it ends where it meets a tarmac road on a corner, you are now on the outskirts of Brockenhurst Village. At this corner you turn right and follow down the edge of the grassy area, passing around some bushes and trees, you will emerge on to the grassy area at the front of Balmer Lawn Hotel.

Here there are two options for you:

The route we took was:

Walk straight ahead towards the main road keeping the cricket pitch area on your left, pass through the wooden pedestrian gate, taking care crossing the road, and then go through the wooden pedestrian gate directly on the other side of the road. Here walk ahead to the river edge and turn right on the path running parallel to the river. After a short distance the path turns right away from the river, then after a few steps it turns left handed over a hump. You then walk ahead for a short distance, here the path forks, straight ahead is a grassy path that runs parallel to the road, but you need to take the left fork down an earthy path, this will then lead you down to the river and the footbridge, however at the time of writing this the foot bridge was under reconstruction so we balanced tentatively on the alternative log across the river!

Here cross over the river and turn left, you will very soon cross a ditch and then look right and you will see a wooden footbridge on your right. Cross over the wooden footbridge and follow the path to emerge on the grassy and gorse expanse of Black Knoll.

Here you turn right and walk in a straight line all the way back up Black Knoll. Eventually you will meet the gravel track, here you turn left and continue along this track and you will come back to your car park on the corner on your right.

The Other Option to return to your vehicle, or particularly if there has been a lot of rain or you do not fancy taking the tree over the river, this is an alternative option for you: When you enter the grassy area infront of the Balmer Lawn Hotel, walk diagonally across the lawn to the gap on the right of the Cricket Pavillion, here you turn right and pass over the cattle grid or through the adjacent gate. At the main road turn left and continue ahead until you see the turning into Meerut Road on your right.

Follow along Meerut Road, passing over the cattle grid or through the adjacent gate, follow this road around corners, and eventually you will come to the large open grassy and gorse area on your right known as Black Knoll. There are a couple of official paths that cross this area, one being near the allotments and another which starts from the corner near Rhinefield Road/Meerut Road Junction. But you literally need to walk the full length of Black Knoll and you will emerge on to the gravel track at the top end, here turn left and follow the gravel track until you find the Ober Corner Car Park on the right.

Dog Walks: New Forest from Ober Corner via Standing Hat, Places to Eat in the Area:

We have eaten at both of these a few times, they were excellent every time:

http://alcatraz.co.uk/indexSite.html then click on Hobler

http://www.pubsnewforest.co.uk/?page_id=3

Others in the area but untried:

http://www.theredlionboldre.co.uk/

http://www.fillyinn.co.uk/

http://www.newforestonline.biz/forestersarms/menu.htm

http://www.thebuttery.org/brockenhurst.htm

http://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/hotels/Rhinefield-House/restaurants/traditional-afternoon-tea/

Dog Walks: New Forest from Ober Corner via Standing Hat, other attractions in the area:

http://www.thenewforest.co.uk/