Burley – Turf Hill

Starting Point

Burley Car Park, Station Road, Burley.
///hiker.given.squeaks

&

Distance

3 MILES (5KM) – Circular

Categories

Although Burley is a bustling village, it is surrounded by rolling heath land.  Heading south, you can enjoy the wide open vistas with views as far as the Isle of Wight and walk where the tracks of the Castleman’s Corkscrew railway line used to carry steam trains through the forest.

This route is particularly stunning in late summer when the purple and pink heather is in full bloom.

Route

From Burley car park, take the more-or-less straight gravel path which heads south through the gorse bushes. You soon begin a gradual descent down Turf Hill.

Look out for Sway Tower in the distance, with the Isle of Wight visible across the Solent behind it. The 218 ft-high tower is visible for miles around and is a familiar landmark. It was built in the 1880s by wealthy local landowner Andrew Thomas Turton Peterson and is thought to be the tallest structure in the world made from non-reinforced concrete.

Continue walking, with Shappen Bottom on your right. After about 2km from the car park, the track narrows and there is a steeper descent towards a footbridge which crosses the Avon Water stream at the bottom of the valley.

Over another 200m, the path rises to meet a wide gravel path along the disused ‘Castleman’s Corkscrew’ railway line. The line, opened in the 1840s, linked Brockenhurst and Ringwood and was so-called because of its winding route through the New Forest

At the ruins of the Greenberry Bridge, turn right onto the path and follow its gently curving route for 1.5km.

When the path crosses a second small bridge with metal railings, take the path on the right of the railing which immediately heads up the hillside.


Advertisement


Continue on the track up Burbush Hill, passing a tumulus – a Bronze Age burial mound – hidden in the heathland on your left after about 330m.

Continue on the path for 900m as it rises and falls and bends round to the left after Shappen Hill and eventually meets an area of grassland in front of Goast Pen Cottage. Cross the the lawn – which can be marshy following wet weather – and go down the lane to the right of the cottage.  The lane meets Moorhill Road. Turn right and, taking care walking along the roadside, follow it uphill back to Burley car park.

To visit the village of Burley, a path through the trees links the car park to the Coven of Witches gift shop.


Advertisement


View Map

To view a map of this route - with GPS locator to follow the route on your smartphone - please login or sign up to become a New Forest Walks Member.

Download GPX

To download a GPX track of this route - for use on your Smartphone apps and GPS devices - please login or sign up to become a New Forest Walks Member.

Download PDF Guide

To download a printable PDF guide for this route, please login or sign up to become a New Forest Walks Member.

Essential Information

To view this information please login or sign up to become a New Forest Walks Member.

Weather

loader-image
Burley
9:09 pm, Jul 1, 2025
weather icon 23°C
L: 22° H: 23°
clear sky
9 mph NW
Precipitation: 0 inch
Sunrise: 4:57 am
Sunset: 9:23 pm
DailyHourly
Daily Forecast Hourly Forecast
Today 10:00 pm
weather icon
22° / 23°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 64 % 1015 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 10:00 pm
weather icon
15° / 23°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 86 % 1024 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 10:00 pm
weather icon
10° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 82 % 1029 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 10:00 pm
weather icon
10° / 22°°C 0 inch 0% 16 mph 88 % 1029 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 10:00 pm
weather icon
12° / 20°°C 0.04 inch 100% 21 mph 96 % 1023 mb 0 mm/h
Today 10:00 pm
weather icon
22° / 23°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 64 % 1015 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 1:00 am
weather icon
18° / 21°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 72 % 1015 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 4:00 am
weather icon
17° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 7 mph 84 % 1016 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 7:00 am
weather icon
17° / 17°°C 0 inch 0% 7 mph 86 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 10:00 am
weather icon
20° / 20°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 73 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 1:00 pm
weather icon
23° / 23°°C 0 inch 0% 10 mph 53 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 4:00 pm
weather icon
22° / 22°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 44 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 7:00 pm
weather icon
20° / 20°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 42 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 10:00 pm
weather icon
15° / 15°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 56 % 1024 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 1:00 am
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 9 mph 73 % 1026 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 4:00 am
weather icon
10° / 10°°C 0 inch 0% 7 mph 82 % 1027 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 7:00 am
weather icon
13° / 13°°C 0 inch 0% 5 mph 67 % 1028 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 10:00 am
weather icon
18° / 18°°C 0 inch 0% 3 mph 50 % 1029 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 1:00 pm
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 12 mph 52 % 1029 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 4:00 pm
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 14 mph 53 % 1028 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 7:00 pm
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 45 % 1028 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Jul 03 10:00 pm
weather icon
13° / 13°°C 0 inch 0% 10 mph 64 % 1029 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 1:00 am
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 10 mph 85 % 1029 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 4:00 am
weather icon
10° / 10°°C 0 inch 0% 6 mph 88 % 1028 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 7:00 am
weather icon
13° / 13°°C 0 inch 0% 5 mph 78 % 1029 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 10:00 am
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 5 mph 58 % 1029 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 1:00 pm
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 57 % 1028 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 4:00 pm
weather icon
22° / 22°°C 0 inch 0% 16 mph 49 % 1026 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 7:00 pm
weather icon
20° / 20°°C 0 inch 0% 12 mph 56 % 1025 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Jul 04 10:00 pm
weather icon
15° / 15°°C 0 inch 0% 7 mph 76 % 1024 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 1:00 am
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 85 % 1023 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 4:00 am
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 87 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 7:00 am
weather icon
15° / 15°°C 0 inch 0% 10 mph 78 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 10:00 am
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 18 mph 58 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 1:00 pm
weather icon
20° / 20°°C 0 inch 0% 21 mph 57 % 1016 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 4:00 pm
weather icon
17° / 17°°C 0.01 inch 36% 20 mph 76 % 1013 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 7:00 pm
weather icon
16° / 16°°C 0.04 inch 100% 19 mph 96 % 1011 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Jul 05 10:00 pm
weather icon
17° / 17°°C 0 inch 0% 16 mph 94 % 1010 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Jul 06 1:00 am
weather icon
13° / 13°°C 0.01 inch 20% 11 mph 91 % 1010 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Jul 06 4:00 am
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 12 mph 93 % 1010 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Jul 06 7:00 am
weather icon
13° / 13°°C 0.01 inch 20% 13 mph 92 % 1009 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Jul 06 10:00 am
weather icon
15° / 15°°C 0.03 inch 70% 15 mph 84 % 1009 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Jul 06 1:00 pm
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0.04 inch 100% 17 mph 57 % 1010 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Jul 06 4:00 pm
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0.01 inch 28% 18 mph 58 % 1011 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Jul 06 7:00 pm
weather icon
17° / 17°°C 0 inch 5% 18 mph 62 % 1013 mb 0 mm/h