Explore the beautiful Pondhead Inclosure on this short circular trail. See the conservation work and careful woodland management carried out by the volunteers helping to protect its remarkable biodiversity.

Route

Turn left out of Park Pale car park and walk alongside the Beaulieu Road for 400m.

Cross the road and walk down the short gravel drive (opposite a barrier on the other side of the road) and go through the gate into Pondhead Inclosure.

To the right of the path, look out for the plaque marking the 900th anniversary of William the Conqueror founding the New Forest as a royal hunting ground in 1079.

Keep walking straight until you come to Balanos the dragon – a sculpture creatively carved out of a fallen tree trunk. You’ll find it in a clearing behind a small hedge on the left. In spring, when sunlight is able to reach the forest floor, this area is a sea of bluebells before the trees are fully in leaf.

Take the left turn shortly afterwards, off the gravel path and on to the rougher forest track of the circular trail.

The path winds through the woods, passing a pond and crossing a small footbridge. Turn left after the footbridge and continue for 250m until you come to a gravel path.

Turn right on to the gravel path and then left at the crossroads.

Follow the path through an area of hazel coppice managed by the Pondhead Conservation Trust. Coppicing is one of the oldest traditional methods of woodland management – it involves cutting small trees down to the ground which rejuvenates the tree and encourages it to send up more new shoots. The 200-acres of Pondhead Inclosure have not been grazed by animals for centuries so the woodland has a rich array of flora, birds and butterflies.

When you reach the gravel path, turn right and retrace your steps out of the inclosure and back to the car park.

Find out more about the work of the Pondhead Conservation Volunteers and how to buy New Forest Charcoal which is made in the inclosure.

In Pictures