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 Goats 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
10:57 pm, Jul 30, 2025
weather icon 18°C
L: 17° H: 19°
clear sky
11 mph NW
Precipitation: 0.04 inch
Sunrise: 5:30 am
Sunset: 8:56 pm
DailyHourly
Daily Forecast Hourly Forecast
Tomorrow 10:00 pm
weather icon
17° / 19°°C 0.04 inch 100% 12 mph 90 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 10:00 pm
weather icon
12° / 23°°C 0.02 inch 51% 15 mph 84 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 10:00 pm
weather icon
11° / 21°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 80 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 10:00 pm
weather icon
14° / 23°°C 0.01 inch 20% 14 mph 90 % 1023 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 10:00 pm
weather icon
15° / 24°°C 0.01 inch 24% 28 mph 95 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 1:00 am
weather icon
18° / 18°°C 0 inch 0% 9 mph 79 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 4:00 am
weather icon
17° / 18°°C 0 inch 0% 7 mph 89 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 7:00 am
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0 inch 0% 6 mph 90 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 10:00 am
weather icon
21° / 21°°C 0.03 inch 70% 8 mph 79 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 1:00 pm
weather icon
24° / 24°°C 0.04 inch 100% 12 mph 82 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 4:00 pm
weather icon
22° / 22°°C 0.04 inch 100% 12 mph 69 % 1016 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 7:00 pm
weather icon
21° / 21°°C 0.04 inch 100% 11 mph 76 % 1016 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 10:00 pm
weather icon
17° / 17°°C 0.03 inch 85% 9 mph 87 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 1:00 am
weather icon
14° / 14°°C 0.02 inch 51% 12 mph 82 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 4:00 am
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 84 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 7:00 am
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 14 mph 81 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 10:00 am
weather icon
17° / 17°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 53 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 1:00 pm
weather icon
21° / 21°°C 0 inch 0% 12 mph 40 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 4:00 pm
weather icon
23° / 23°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 36 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 7:00 pm
weather icon
22° / 22°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 39 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Aug 01 10:00 pm
weather icon
16° / 16°°C 0 inch 0% 10 mph 55 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 1:00 am
weather icon
13° / 13°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 68 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 4:00 am
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 9 mph 80 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 7:00 am
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 9 mph 79 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 10:00 am
weather icon
18° / 18°°C 0 inch 0% 9 mph 56 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 1:00 pm
weather icon
21° / 21°°C 0 inch 0% 4 mph 45 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 4:00 pm
weather icon
20° / 20°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 52 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 7:00 pm
weather icon
21° / 21°°C 0 inch 0% 9 mph 46 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Aug 02 10:00 pm
weather icon
16° / 16°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 74 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 1:00 am
weather icon
14° / 14°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 88 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 4:00 am
weather icon
14° / 14°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 85 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 7:00 am
weather icon
16° / 16°°C 0 inch 0% 7 mph 74 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 10:00 am
weather icon
21° / 21°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 67 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 1:00 pm
weather icon
23° / 23°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 64 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 4:00 pm
weather icon
22° / 22°°C 0 inch 0% 14 mph 67 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 7:00 pm
weather icon
21° / 21°°C 0.01 inch 20% 12 mph 75 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Sun Aug 03 10:00 pm
weather icon
18° / 18°°C 0 inch 0% 7 mph 90 % 1023 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 1:00 am
weather icon
16° / 16°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 95 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 4:00 am
weather icon
15° / 15°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 95 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 7:00 am
weather icon
16° / 16°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 87 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 10:00 am
weather icon
21° / 21°°C 0 inch 0% 19 mph 68 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 1:00 pm
weather icon
22° / 22°°C 0 inch 0% 25 mph 68 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 4:00 pm
weather icon
24° / 24°°C 0 inch 0% 28 mph 57 % 1016 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 7:00 pm
weather icon
19° / 19°°C 0.01 inch 24% 18 mph 84 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Mon Aug 04 10:00 pm
weather icon
15° / 15°°C 0.01 inch 20% 12 mph 84 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h