After passing the New Forest ponies grazing on Wilverley Plain, this horseshoe route heads over to Holm Hill and returns across Hincheslea Moor. Take in the sweeping views of the rolling heathland west of Brockenhurst, before adding on a visit to a gruesome reminder of the New Forest’s history of smuggling.
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Route
Join the path at the far end of the car park, keeping the trees of Wilverley Inclosure to your left. Turn right onto the gravel path which runs along the edge of the grassland of Wilverley Plain. Large numbers of New Forest ponies gather and graze on this 65 acres of open lawn.
Continue for 750m, until the path takes a left turn at two solitary trees.
The path forks after 300m. Take the fork to the right and look out at the sweeping views over Holmhill Bog with Whitefield Moor in the distance. After another 500m, you reach the highpoint of Holm Hill.
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Extension
To extend this walk by 2.5 miles, you can join our Holm Hill route at this point. Turn left at Holm Hill and follow the track across Crab Hill Bog towards a footbridge which leads into Clumber Inclosure.
The route then takes you past the magnificent Rhinefield House before looping back across Puttles Bridge to Whitefield Moor car park. Follow the path to Silver Stream to resume the route back to Wilverley Plain.
Turn right after crossing the stream and join the path which gradually heads uphill, with Holmhill Bog and Holm Hill over to your right.
The path continues for another 1.1km with some short, steep stretches. As you approach Wilverley Plain, the path forks – take the right hand path and continue for 200m.
At a clump of fir trees, turn right and walk for 100m before turning left back on to the path which runs alongside Wilverley Plain. After 800m, you reach the trees of Wilverley Inclosure. Turn left to return to the car park or turn right to extend your walk to the Naked Man.
Extension
To visit the remains of an oak tree, known as the Naked Man, turn right and follow the straight path alongside the inclosure for 700m.
Smuggling was prolific in the New Forest in the 18th and early 19th Centuries, with illicit contraband such as French brandy, gin, and fine silks landed on the coast. The government ‘revenue men’ were always on the lookout for smugglers and the penalties were harsh. The Naked Man is reputed to be where highwaymen and smugglers were hanged for their crimes.
The tree was believed to have been called the Naked Man after it was struck by lightening. The shattered trunk and two outstretched branches of the tree was said to have resembled a man.
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