Northern Borders
DISTANCE: 10 miles
MAP: OS Outdoor Leisure 22 - The New Forest. Full page map showing start point, click here.
START: 212177 Turf Hill car park. If arriving south on the B3080 it is the first car park on the right after entering the forest. From the south, it is the next car park on the left after passing Pound Hill car park. This car park is relatively busy during summer month weekends. At quieter times you may wish to park near the Horse and Groom pub at Woodgreen at 170176 and follow instructions from A.
THE WALK: Walk through the car park until you reach the more circular area. Take the exit to your right and bear left from here to pass to the right-hand side of a small pool. Continue straight on until you reach a small copse of trees. Turn left here to follow the path downhill. Cross the stream (usually dry) at Deadman Bottom and head up the hill following the path up the far side of the valley. As you reach the top, the path bears right and later swings left to cross the B3078 road.
Cross the road to the Black Gutter car park entrance opposite and follow the gravel track. As the track swings right, pass through a half-gate to follow another gravel track downhill. At a fork you bear left to a stream and turn right to follow its right bank until you are able to cross to an obvious path on the opposite side. Follow the path uphill on the left side of a small valley. Carry on up to reach a large circular grassy area at the top of the rise. Bear right along the edge of the grassy space to get onto a straight gravel track leading away to the distance. Follow this track for about half a mile until you reach a T-junction with another gravel track.
Turn left here along this track and follow it as it eventually winds downhill to reach an entrance into Pitt's Wood. Follow the track through the Inclosure as it leads you across a stream and uphill to a gate on its south side. Do not go through the gate but instead turn right down an earth track. When a gravel ride comes in from the left, carry on in the same direction, but very quickly bear left at the very next fork. Shortly go through a gate across the track and maintain your direction. When you see an exit from the Inclosure down the hill ahead of you, look out for a turning on the right. Take this as it leads you downhill to cross a stream and exits the Inclosure. Cross the track to carry straight on ahead. This track crosses Ditchend Brook and then you follow it up the hill towards Godshill Ridge. At the top of the hill, cross the cricket pitch to reach the car park by the hut.
Turn right to follow the B3078 past a pottery until you come to the entrance to Ashley Walk car park. Cross the road and turn right following the line of a fence on you left. When the fence turns left, go with it and follow it downhill away from the road to cross a stream at the bottom. Cross the stream over a bridge and follow the fence uphill. Aim to cross a small drainage ditch as soon as possible to walk between that and the fence.
When the fence turns left, do not go with it but instead bear half-left to continue up the hill. At a fork, continue straight up to the top of the rise. At the top, turn left and aim for the gravel car park you see ahead of you by the edge of Godshill Inclosure. Walk through the car park and when a road is reached, continue straight on still following the Inclosure fence. Cross the road when it turns sharp right and continue walking down the track opposite.
A road soon bears in from the left, follow this for a short distance, then when it bears slightly left, look for a narrow track on the right which goes up a small slope. Follow this path to maintain your presence with the Inclosure fence until it rejoins up with the road again. Now walk along the road as it swings right and follow it uphill to reach the top of an escarpment at Castle Hill. Follow the road past the two car park areas. The Inclosure fence turns sharp right, but follow the road down to the junction. Turn right here up the lane, then after about 50 yards, left through a gate at point A into Godshill Inclosure.
POINT A.
If you parked by the Horse and Groom at Woodgreen, take the road which passes by the shop and along to the right of the inn and follow this road uphill to pass the right-hand turn to Castle Hill car park. About 50 yards past this turn, you reach point A on the walk and go through the gate on your left into Godshill Inclosure.
Enter
the Inclosure and follow the track ahead. Ignore all turnings until
you come to a wide crossroads of tracks. The turns left and right are
substantial gravel tracks whereas the path straight on is a bit less
gravelly, follow this one. The track will lead you out of the
Inclosure through a gate. Turn right, and as the road you are now on
turns left at Densome Corner, carry straight on through the half-gate
to follow the track ahead to the right of houses. Follow it downhill
until you reach a field on the left. At the second gate leading from
this field, bear right and the track will lead you down to the stream
at Miller's Ford. Cross the stream and turn left. Follow the line of
the ditch and wooded area on the left until the path reaches a second
area of woodland ahead of you. Here, turn left to go down to cross
the stream again and bear slightly right to follow on the path
uphill. Continue up, ignoring a left fork, and follow the path out of
the Inclosure onto heath land at its northern end. Turn right and
follow the gravel track uphill towards high voltage power lines.
About 100 metres short of the pylons, turn right along a wide path that eventually swings left under the power cables. Ignore turnings until you are passing a small birch tree copse on your right. As you pass this, bear right onto a path. Cross a depression as the path leads you back to the plantation fence. As you reach the corner of the Inclosure, join a broad track coming in from the left and turn right downhill between fenced areas on either side. Again pass under the power lines and cross a small stream bed. Continue up on the other side to meet a gravel track. Turn left along the track which is quite gravelly so you may wish to walk on the grass to one side. Follow this track as it leads you back to the car park at Turf Hill
A guestbook visitor (Andy Harris from London) writes:
I went for the day to the New Forest and did the NORTHERN BORDERS walk. It was excellent and very well described - didn't even need to look at the OS map! Thanks for putting these online! Will plan to do many more!
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