The New Forest, with its gorgeous landscapes, ancient woodlands and over 100 miles of cycle tracks, is the perfect place for outdoor adventures on two wheels. Whether you’re a cycling enthusiast, a family with young children or have accessible needs and wish to get out to explore with confidence, the New Forest offers the best cycling experience that’s enjoyable and inclusive for everyone.
We have plenty tried-and-tested interactive cycle routes for you to follow through the forest. Each route has step by step directions, useful route details including ability level and estimated duration, and can all easily be exported to Google Maps.
Cycling is an excellent family activity, and the New Forest caters to riders of all ages and abilities. Here are some routes, tips and highlights for a family-friendly cycling day out:
Safe and Easy Routes
- Hawkhill Trail (9 miles): This flat, off-road route is perfect for families. Wind along scenic trails, as you cycle under canopies of trees, over railway bridges, across heathlands and over an old airfield.
- The Old Railway Line (9 miles): This traffic-free route runs along a disused railway line between Burley and Brockenhurst. It’s ideal for young children and for stopping off for a picnic and nature spotting. The beauty of this ride is that you can make it as short as you like, turning around to come back from where you began at any point.
Accessible Cycling
The New Forest is committed to making cycling accessible to everyone. Here's how it caters to those with additional needs:
Adaptive bikes
PedALL New Forest Inclusive Cycling is a fantastic local service that provides a range of adaptive bikes, including trikes, handcycles, and tandem bikes. Their expert team ensures that everyone, regardless of ability, can enjoy the freedom of cycling. Take a taster session to find the perfect adaptive bike for you or join in with one of their guided rides. PedALL are the perfect way to get out and explore the New Forest!
Image - PedALL
Accessible Routes
Being one of the flattest National Parks in the UK, the New Forest is the excellent location for enjoying accessible bike rides. Cycling on the tracks around Beaulieu is a top location, as there are very few hills in this area, or taking to Standing Hat, where there’s a brilliant network of paths all connecting to each other.
There’s lots of bike hire locations in the New Forest, all offering a variety of gravel, road, mountain and e-bikes, as well as kids bikes, seats and trailers.
Image - Jaunt e-bikes
Head to Cyclexperience in Brockenhurst, The Woods Cyclery in Lyndhurst, New Forest Cycling in Burley or New Forest Bikes in Lymington. Jaunt e-bikes in Milford on Sea offer unique hire on their electric monkey bikes, which are super comfy to ride!