Historic Walks

The New Forest is full of incredible and interesting history, it’s one of the main reasons people visit this wonderful part of the world.

The creation of the New Forest is a huge part of history in itself, being founded in 1079 by William the Conqueror, when he named the area his ‘new hunting forest’ -  it was first recorded as "Nova Foresta" in the Domesday Book in 1086. It is the only forest that the book describes in detail. "Probably no action of the early Norman kings is more notorious than their creation of the New Forest"!

The New Forest is also the place where William’s son, King William II is alleged to have been fatally wounded and passed away due to an arrow being shot at him in 1100AD by Sir Walter Tyrrell (we’ll come back to this in a minute).

The New Forest is steeped in history, from the fortifications built by Kng Henry VIII, its around the English coastline, its vital role in WW1 and II, and links to many famous people including Florence Nightingale, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (who wrote the popular Sherlock Holmes books) and Alice Liddell, who was Lewis Caroll’s inspiration for Alice in Wonderland. Find out more about our rich heritage and history by heading to our dedicated webpage, or follow one of the walks below, where you will end up at some of our most historic points of interest…

Our top 5 historic walks in the New Forest

1. Rufus Stone
This is a very short walk of just 0.2 miles, where the sole purpose of the walk is to visit the Rufus Stone, which marks the site of where King William II was shot by an arrow by Sir Walter Tyrell (as mentioned above!). This is one of our most popular historic sites in the New Forest, and it’s also a great location for a picnic if you’re visiting on a sunny day.

2. Brook to Minstead Village
A longer walk (7.2 miles) where you also visit the Rufus Stone, and another historic site too. From the Rufus Stone you will follow the route through quiet country lanes to the beautiful village of Minstead, where in the grounds of the All Saints Church you will find the grave of famous detective writer and spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

3. Walhampton Monument Trail
On this walk you’ll get to visit the monument to Admiral Sir Harry Burrard-Neale, a prominent Navel officer and former MP of Lymington. He was greatly admired for the changes he brought to this wonderful town. This walk also enjoys lovely views over the Solent.

4. Beaulieu to Buckler’s Hard
This walk is jam-packed with fascinating history. At the start of the walk you can enjoy the fantastic National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. At this world-class attraction, not only will you be able to walk around and see some of the oldest and most famous motor vehicles there has ever been, you will also get the chance to have a wander around the Abbey Gardens and take a peek inside Palace House, which was once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey and has been the Montagu family home since 1538. From the National Motor Museum, you will follow a 2-mile trail down to Buckler’s Hard, another incredible attraction which is made of history. Buckler’s Hard is an 18th century shipbuilding village, which was home to ships built for Nelson’s fleet at Trafalgar.

5. Exbury Village to Lepe
Visit Exbury Village is a peaceful village which if full of some fascinating history, including important war time links between the village and Lepe, which you will also be visiting on this walk. Lepe has been used for many reasons in the past, including a coastguard station during the 19th century and in 1943 the House at Lepe was requisitioned by the Navy to then become the Headquarters of the J-Force Assault Group for the West Solent embarkations before the D-Day Normandy landings.

As well as those detailed above, there are lots of other fantastic historic walks you can follow and enjoy – take a step back in time, you’ll be surprised at what you will learn!