Rinbro three

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A walk of approximately 19k, we did this walk over 2 stages. Starting in the lovely Market Town of Ringwood. Initially pavements through the town then taking us on to a disused railwail line the Castlemen Trail. Eventually our walk took us over the grid into the National Park. Once in the Park our route was mainly the quieter tarmac roads of the Forest. Beautiful scenery and of course plenty of horses, the road was a gradual incline towards Burley. Before Burley we turned up to a steeper climb of Castle Hill. It was there our first stile which led to a very muddy path before entering Burley. In Burley there are plenty of places to get refreshments and a toilet break.
Our second stage of the walk was from Burley to Brockenhurst. Pretty much all off road and certainly some very stunning scenery. The walk took us through a well walked, cycled path with vegetation either side, under the road to a muddy stretch, before entering a beautiful forest that eventually led to Brockenhurst. Brockenhurst itself is a lovely busy little town, with an ambudance of eateries.
Unfortunately due to the stile and the muddy paths this walk would not be suitable for wheelchairs, buggies etc.

Numerous bus routes stop at Ringwood.
This is very much a walk of two halves, with Ringwood to Burley very much along tarmac roads and the Burley to Brockenhurst section along tracks and country paths.
The short section, through Burley (Castle Hill) is the most challenging, with several stiles and bridges and a narrow gate. These would make the use of anything on wheels difficult. Potentially carrying on through Burley Street (although there is a short section of road with no pathway), this section could be avoided, although it also misses the spectacular views from Castle Hill.
Burley offers a choice of cafes and pubs, it is on one of the open top bus routes (seasonal).
Brockenhurst has a wide choice of refreshment options. Another stop on the seasonal bus tour. There are numerous buses and a railway station.

Starting from Ringwood Furlong Shopping Ctr (car park & bus stop) going west. This route can be divided into 2 sections with the first leading from Ringwood to Burley and the second from Burley to Brockenhurst train station. The first section is mainly on paved roads and pathways; initially on town streets, then along paved foot/cycle paths, going past Hightown Lake onto Moortown Lane, a country road leading up to Crow Hill. Following this road for about 3.5 km through forested and then moor land, one reaches Castle Hill Lane, an unpaved road at the periphery of Burley. After approximately 1 km the route leads onto a narrow footpath which can only be accessed by climbing a stile. At this point the route is no longer accessible for any type of wheelchair. It may be possible to continue on the path with a rugged off-road pushchair or a mountain bike (requires lifting over stile), but a footbridge with a step-rise of over 10 cm, and the combination of a narrow kissing gate with a cast iron gate leading through an archway, located at the end of the footpath pose significant obstacles requiring awkward lifting of a bike or pushchair. However, if one does not follow the route at the turn off at at the start of Castle Hill Lane, but continues along Ringwood Road (very narrow at places!), one can avoid the above obstacles and reach the centre of Burley via this alternative.
The second part of the route from Burley to Brockenhurst involves hardly any metalled surfaces, although there are some gravelled sections. As most of it leads through open heathland and some forested areas, there are very rough surfaces, including deep and muddy ruts, steep loose gravel (26% gradient just prior to A35 underpass) and unmade and muddy paths. There are two foot bridges to cross, which may also pose as obstacles for some types of wheeled transport. However it is the more picturesque section of the route with some beautiful views over the New Forest's heath and wet lands, and following sections of the stream of Ober Water to the outskirts of Brockenhurst.
I enjoyed walking this route, especially the second section from Burley to Brockenhurst as it offers better views of the New Forest landscape and involves much less walking on or beside roads. The average walker should expect about 4.5 hours of walking time for this 20km route, not counting any rest stops.

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