Dog Walks: New Forest Walk from Bolderwood

Dog Walks: New Forest Walk from Bolderwood. This is a great spot to park and enjoy the day with the family. There is the Deer Viewing Platform at the end of the Car Park to view the deer, particularly at feeding times. There are picnic benches, barbequeue platforms, and information point, plus other shorter walks from the car park too. The walk described is a lovely shady walk, ponies are grazing here in the forest, we were even passed by a horse and carriage.

Start/finish: Bolderwood Car Park

Directions: Turn of the A35 on to the Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive, follow this road for a couple of miles and you will find Bolderwood Car Park on the right immediately next to a green area

Parking: Bolderwood Car Park, Free Parking

Nearest Public Conveniences: In Bolderwood Car Park

Approximate Total Mileage 2.6 miles

Terrain: Mainly Gravel tracks, some with grassy sections, with some long steady inclines and downward slopes.

Description of suitability of and ability: The terrain here consists of gravel tracks in the main, so it is possible for wheels along this route. The majority of the tracks are on the level, although there are a couple of steady inclines and downward slopes. There are also shorter distances of waymarked paths from Bolderwood Car Park that can be enjoyed too.

Dog Walks: New Forest Walk from Bolderwood Route:

Walk down Bolderwood Car Park with the Public Conveniences on the right and green on your left. At the end of the car park you will see a gateway and gates on the opposite side of the road.

So, cross the road, pass through the gate and continue ahead on the gravel and grassy track down into the wood, ignoring any paths leading in from left or right, you continue ahead on the main grassy and gravel track.

After walking for a short distance the track you are following comes to a junction where there is a gravel track to the left and right and a grassy track straight ahead, here you turn left and follow on the gravel track.

The track goes down a slope and round a right hand bend, ignore the 2 paths off to the left, the gravel track then swings left handed, again ignoring any paths joining from left and right, just continue ahead on the main gravel track. Your track will go up a bit of an incline and come to a junction, there is a gravel road to the left or right, and here you turn right and follow the main gravel track down the slope.

(However if you want to do a detour to visit the Canadian War Memorial, then you turn left at this junction, follow the main track to its end next to the main road, and here the WWII Canadian War Memorial is found on the left, you will then need to retrace your steps back to the junction to continue on the route).

Follow the track down to a sweeping right hand bend where various tracks join, but here you follow the sweeping right hand bend on the main gravel track. Continue ahead on the main track ignoring any paths joining from left or right. The road will then bear left over a wide wooden bridge, follow the track over the bridge and then the track follows round a right corner.

Then having followed along a short straight, you will come to a sweeping left hand bend with various tracks joining and the main track going around the left bend, however at this point you turn right and go through the gate.

Having passed through the wooden gate follow ahead on the track, it starts up an incline and just where the track goes off round a left hand corner you actually turn right at this junction and follow the track down the slope and cross over another stone and wooden bridge, then around a left handed bend then a right bend, ignore any paths from the left or right and continue ahead on the main track.

After rising steadily for a short will you will come to wooden gates, here you pass through the gates and continue ahead on the main gravel track on up the hill, ignore any paths leading in from left or right as the track levels off. You then go along the level, then around a left bend and down a little slope, still ignoring any paths leading in to the track you are on, you will then be following track around a sweeping right corner.

As you come up to the top of the slope the main gravel track continues ahead, here you turn left and follow this gravel and grassy path up the incline to the gate, pass through the gate, and cross the main road, returning to the Bolderwood Car Park.