Dog Walks: New Forest from Clay Hill Car Park via Lyndhurst

Dog Walks: New Forest from Clay Hill Car Park via Lyndhurst, this is a a really nice walk. Initially through a peaceful grassy wooded area, we saw deer here which was great. You then are on cycle tracks which are very good underfoot. There were lots of ponies to be seen across White Moor on the run into Lyndhurst Village. We enjoyed our lovely light lunch at the Mailmans Arms before leaving the bustle of Lyndhurst to head back into the Woods for a peaceful end to the walk, great.

Start/finish: Clayhill Car Park

Directions: Driving from Lyndhurst to Brockenhurst on the A337, Clay Hill Car Park is located on the left side of the road just after leaving Lyndhurst.

Parking: Clay Hill Car Park, free parking

Nearest Public Conveniences: In Brockenhurst or Lyndhurst Village Centres.

Approximate Total Mileage 5.5

Terrain: Mainly gravel tracks, and grassy and sandy paths, some pavement

Description of suitability of and ability: There are a few very minor inclines on this route however due to the terrain across some rutted areas and a couple of wet areas it is not advisable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Dog Walks: New Forest from Clay Hill Car Park via Lyndhurst Route:

Standing in Clay Hill Car Park with your back towards the road looking down the length of the car park, walk down the car park with the fence surrounding the wood on the left kept on your left.

It is important to keep an eye on this fence-line as you will be following it around 2 sides of this wood, so don’t lose sight of it!

So proceed out of the car park on the grassy path running parallel to the fence-line on your left, you will be walking down through a shady area.

Just as you emerge into an open area you will see the fence-line swings left handed, here you swing left handed too still following the fence-line on your left. You proceed through another shady area, there are a couple of squidgy places along this stretch but there is a drier bridged area slightly to the right of the path allowing you to cross, or you can skirt around it, you may also have to step over the occasional fallen branch, wherever you deviate though you need to come back on to the path parallel to the fence-line.

So keep following the fence-line along this stretch until it comes to a right angle corner where it heads left on quite a wet corner, here if you look straight ahead a few metres you will see the wide gravel track. Walk forward to the edge of the track and turn right on to the track.

Follow along this track, you will meet a right turn in the track but just ignore this and continue ahead on this track all the way until you reach an open area where there track goes either left or right through gates, and there is an open area ahead of grassland and heather, so at this point you turn left and go through the wooden gates.

Having passed through the gates, follow this track ahead, ignore any paths coming in from left or right and continue ahead. You will eventually follow the track around a sweeping left bend, the path will narrow and bears left, a path merges in from the right, but you continue on the main path which will drop down the hill, and at the bottom of the hill there are wooden gates. Pass through the wooden gates and walk straight ahead and over the foot bridge.

Having crossed the footbridge, follow the track slightly left handed up a bit of an incline and into an open area, you will then come into a bit of a wooded area, here you then come up to a grassy track off to the left and the stony track off to the right. Here you turn right, and after a few steps you turn left, and pass by a couple of big shady trees on your left and continue up the slight incline on the gravel and stony track.

Follow this track up and on to the open moorland, you are now on White Moor. Walk straight ahead to the edge of the road, and cross straight over. On the other side of the road (B3056 Beaulieu to Lyndhurst) you will pick up another sandy path, which bears left handed as it joins another path and runs parallel to the road on your left. Ignore any tracks off to you right but just follow this sandy path all the way ahead, you will bear left slightly and go up a bit of an incline and past gorse bushes and then along the level, and at the end the path will eventually bring you into a car park area.

Follow the road out of the car park area, it will change from gravel to tar road, so walk along the edge of the road along the green area, you are now walking towards Lyndhurst. You will pass by the War Memorial. At the end of the road cross over and turn right and go through the gate next to the cattle grid. Once through the gate turn left and follow the pavement into Lyndhurst Village. Here we stopped and had lunch at the Mailmans Arms next to the Maserati Garage on the right side of the road.

However to continue on the walk, follow the road around to the left at the Natwest Bank, here you are following down the side of a 2 lane one-way road system. Eventually you will come to a corner where the main road splits next to a green, here you need to keep walking straight ahead, and follow on the pavement along the side of the road signposted to Lymington and Brockenhurst A337. Follow this road for a short distance until you see a right turning into Foxlease, and almost opposite on the left is a turning into a lane named Beechen Lane.

Here you turn left into Beechen Lane, passing dwellings and buildings on the left and right, follow the lane along to the end where you will come to some gates.

At these gates you pass through them into a wooded area, you will pass a cycle marker on your left, just continue ahead on the gravel track.

After walking ahead for not too long you will come to wooden gates almost opposite each other on either side of the track you are walking along, and also just ahead on the left is another cycle marker, here you turn right through the gate, and follow the wide grassy and sandy path ahead. After a short distance the path bears right, however you continue ahead on the grassy path down a bit of a slope, do not turn off on to any of the other paths joining in from left or right, just continue ahead on the grassy track.