Knightwood Oak and Eagle Oak

Starting Points

Knightwood Oak car park, Bolderwood Ornamental Drive
///typically.grit.penny

Anderwood car park, Lyndhurst Road, Burley
///blindfold.angers.plankton

&

Distance

4 MILES (6KM) – Circular
Shorter route: 2 MILES (3km)

Categories

A woodland walk taking in two of the most famous old trees in the New Forest.

1

Route

Map & GPX

Information

In Pictures

Route

From the Knightwood Oak car park, off the Bolderwood Ornamental Drive, follow the path behind the car park as it heads away from the road. Continue on the straight path for 200m before making a right turn at a T-junction.

After 150m, turn left and walk on the straight path across an area of open heath for 250m.

 Turn left and follow the track as it curves round to the right. Take the next right turn and walk for 100m until the path splits. Follow the forest track on the right heading into the woods and you’ll find the Eagle Oak located off the right side of the path after a short distance.

With the branches of a yew tree entangled amongst its own, the Eagle Oak has a girth of about 5.4m. It is so-named as it is thought that the last remaining sea eagle in southern England was shot from its branches in the early 19th Century. However the tree has survived to see the return of the the birds of prey – thanks to a conservation and breeding project set up on the Isle of Wight by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation. The white-tailed eagle is the UK’s largest bird of prey with a wing span of up to 2.5m.

Continue on the track downhill through the woods until it meets a gravel path.

Short cut

To shorten this walk, turn right when the track from the Eagle Oak meets the gravel path. Continue on the gravel path as it curves round to the right.

After 400m, turn left and retrace your earlier steps back to the Knightwood car park by taking the next right and left turns. Continue through the car park and cross the Bolderwood Ornamental Drive and follow the signposts to visit the Knightwood Oak.


Advertisement


Turn left and immediately take path on the right when it forks ahead of you. After 180m, at the New Forest cycle marker post 133, turn left and follow the cycle track for 200m as it curves to the right. Keep the area of open land to your right. The path gradually heads uphill towards the gate into Anderwood Inclosure.

Follow the cycle path through the oak and beech woods of Anderwood Inclosure for 600m. When you reach cycle marker post 130, turn left on to the forest track which winds through the trees for another 700m before arriving at the picnic site and car park.

Leave the car park via the entrance on to Lyndhurst Road. Take care as you turn left and walk along the roadside for 200m until you come to another path heading back into the woods. Join the path past a vehicle barrier and continue for 300m, then take the path to the right.

After 200m, turn left and follow the path until it curves gently to the right, then to the left, bringing you back to the track for the Eagle Oak on the right. Continue on the gravel path as it curves round to the right. After 400m, turn left and retrace your earlier steps back to the Knightwood car park by taking the next right and left turns.

Walk through the car park and cross the Bolderwood Ornamental Drive. Join the signposted path for the short stroll through Monarch’s Grove to the Knightwood Oak. There are picnic benches and seats along the way.

Known as the Queen of the Forest, the Knightwood Oak is thought to be about 600 years old and, as such, is one of the oldest trees in the New Forest. Over the centuries it has been pollarded – the upper branches cut off for purposes such as firewood – without harming the tree. The tree’s trunk has a circumference of some 7m.

After walking round the Knightwood Oak, follow the path back the road and the car park.


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
8:59 pm, Mar 31, 2025
weather icon 9°C
L: 8° H: 10°
clear sky
Wind 2 mph ENE
UV Index UV Index: 0
Precipitation Precipitation: 0 inch
Sunrise Sunrise: 6:44 am
Sunset Sunset: 7:36 pm
DailyHourly
Daily ForecastHourly Forecast
Today 10:00 pm
weather icon
8° / 10°°C 0 inch 0% 9 mph 80 % 1027 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 10:00 pm
weather icon
2° / 14°°C 0 inch 0% 19 mph 90 % 1027 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 10:00 pm
weather icon
6° / 13°°C 0 inch 0% 20 mph 78 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 10:00 pm
weather icon
9° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 18 mph 83 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 10:00 pm
weather icon
10° / 16°°C 0 inch 7% 15 mph 88 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Today 10:00 pm
weather icon
9° / 9°°C 0 inch 0% 9 mph 80 % 1027 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 1:00 am
weather icon
7° / 8°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 81 % 1027 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 4:00 am
weather icon
4° / 5°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 85 % 1026 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 7:00 am
weather icon
2° / 2°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 90 % 1025 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 10:00 am
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 69 % 1025 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 1:00 pm
weather icon
14° / 14°°C 0 inch 0% 19 mph 58 % 1024 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 4:00 pm
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 18 mph 60 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 7:00 pm
weather icon
10° / 10°°C 0 inch 0% 16 mph 69 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Tomorrow 10:00 pm
weather icon
8° / 8°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 72 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 1:00 am
weather icon
7° / 7°°C 0 inch 0% 16 mph 72 % 1022 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 4:00 am
weather icon
6° / 6°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 74 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 7:00 am
weather icon
6° / 6°°C 0 inch 0% 16 mph 78 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 10:00 am
weather icon
9° / 9°°C 0 inch 0% 18 mph 69 % 1021 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 1:00 pm
weather icon
13° / 13°°C 0 inch 0% 20 mph 59 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 4:00 pm
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 20 mph 64 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 7:00 pm
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 71 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Wed Apr 02 10:00 pm
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 68 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 1:00 am
weather icon
9° / 9°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 82 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 4:00 am
weather icon
9° / 9°°C 0 inch 0% 13 mph 83 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 7:00 am
weather icon
9° / 9°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 83 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 10:00 am
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 18 mph 80 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 1:00 pm
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 74 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 4:00 pm
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 14 mph 81 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 7:00 pm
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 11 mph 81 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Thu Apr 03 10:00 pm
weather icon
10° / 10°°C 0 inch 0% 7 mph 83 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 1:00 am
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 3 mph 82 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 4:00 am
weather icon
10° / 10°°C 0 inch 7% 7 mph 86 % 1020 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 7:00 am
weather icon
10° / 10°°C 0 inch 0% 8 mph 88 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 10:00 am
weather icon
14° / 14°°C 0 inch 0% 12 mph 74 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 1:00 pm
weather icon
15° / 15°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 64 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 4:00 pm
weather icon
16° / 16°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 64 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 7:00 pm
weather icon
14° / 14°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 73 % 1017 mb 0 mm/h
Fri Apr 04 10:00 pm
weather icon
11° / 11°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 71 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Apr 05 1:00 am
weather icon
10° / 10°°C 0 inch 0% 16 mph 78 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Apr 05 4:00 am
weather icon
9° / 9°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 81 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Apr 05 7:00 am
weather icon
8° / 8°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 77 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Apr 05 10:00 am
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 17 mph 70 % 1019 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Apr 05 1:00 pm
weather icon
15° / 15°°C 0 inch 0% 16 mph 62 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Apr 05 4:00 pm
weather icon
16° / 16°°C 0 inch 0% 15 mph 55 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h
Sat Apr 05 7:00 pm
weather icon
12° / 12°°C 0 inch 0% 12 mph 67 % 1018 mb 0 mm/h