Ornamental Woods Cycle Route: The Most Beautiful Ride in the New Forest
The Rhinefield Ornamental Woodland Ride, or simply Ornamental Woods, is a beautiful cycling route through the New Forest National Park. This guide details everything you need to know in order to enjoy this trail for yourself.
It’s easy to see why the Ornamental Woods cycle route is one of the most popular cycling trails in the New Forest. It’s a little over 14 miles (23 km) long and takes cyclists through the beautiful and scenic Ornamental Woods, a section of the forest known for its stunning trees.
This is my absolute favourite bike route in the New Forest. I cycle it almost every time I visit the national park, and never seem to get sick of it.
Starting from the village of Brockenhurst, Ornamental Woods takes cyclists on a circular journey through the forest, through heathland, along country lanes and around the beautiful Blackwater Arboretum. Expect to see plenty of New Forest ponies along the way, and perhaps even some deer!
Ornamental Woods cycle route details
Start/Finish: Brockenhurst Railway Station.
Distance: 14 miles (23 km).
Time: 2-3 hours, although I’d allow half a day or more.
Terrain: The terrain is mostly flat, with a few gentle uphill and downhill sections. The trail is a mix of gravel paths, forest tracks, and quiet country lanes.
Difficulty: The route is suitable for cyclists of all levels, although some sections may be more challenging for novice cyclists. There are a few uphill sections, but these are relatively short and can be walked if necessary.
Is this route suitable for you?
Most likely, yes!
This is one of the flattest and most family-friendly routes in the New Forest, consisting mostly of off-road cycle tracks. The trail is suitable for all levels of cycling ability, although there are some slightly uphill sections that may be challenging for totally novice cyclists.
The route is also well-signposted and easy to follow, and there are several places to stop and rest or take in the scenery along the way.
However, if you’re looking for a challenging ride, Ornamental Woods may not be for you. There are no challenging inclines or technical trails here.
Ornamental Woods cycling route Map
Click here to view the map in a separate window.
Highlights along the route
New Forest ponies: You’ll cycle past Beachern Wood quite early on in the ride, where there are almost always lots of New Forest ponies hanging out. It’s a large expanse of open field, so it provides good grazing for them.
Bolderford Picnic Area: This is a scenic bit of woodland next to the Lymington River. It’s a fairly busy spot, but it’s a lovely place to sit and enjoy some refreshments. There are often dogs splashing about in the river, and children playing pooh sticks on the bridge.
Thatch House: This is an adorable cottage on Pinkney Lane, which you’ll cycle along during your ride. Be sure to stop and take a look — it’s definitely one of the most charismatic houses in the New Forest.
The Oak Inn: This pub is just so lovely that I had to include it as a highlight. It’s got a pretty pub garden to enjoy in warm weather, or a cosy, traditional interior to enjoy when it’s cold. The food is also great and the staff are always friendly.
The “Dead Trees”: About halfway through the ride, you’ll come to a very striking landscape. While it’s probably not the official name, I call them the “Dead Trees” — a large cluster of barren, lifeless trees that look really mysterious.
Blackwater Arboretum: Blackwater Arboretum contains a collection of incredible trees from around the world. It contains some of the oldest Douglas fir trees in Britain, towering redwoods, impressive conifers, and more.
Ornamental Woods cycling route: Detailed Step-by-Step Directions
Although the route takes 2-3 hours to complete, I would set aside at least half a day for the ride. This will give you plenty of time to take in the sights and sounds of the New Forest, and to enjoy some refreshments along the way.
To make your Ornamental Woods bike ride as seamless as possible, I’ve written detailed step-by-step directions to guide you along this beautiful trail.
Getting into the forest
1) From Brockenhurst Railway Station, make your way to the back of the car park and look for an access gate on the right-hand side.
2) Pass through the gate and turn left onto East Bank Road. At the next junction, make a right onto Avenue Road.
3) Head down Avenue Road and take a left onto Sway Road. Keep going until you see Brockenhurst Primary School on your right.
4) To the left of the school, you’ll spot a gravel path (marked by waymarker 233) that leads through Culverley Green and over a small weir.
5) This gravel trail takes you to Burley Road (waymarker 234). Turn left, then right to stay on the gravel path (waymarker 235), and follow it until you reach Rhinefield Road (waymarker 236).
6) Upon reaching Rhinefield Road, turn right, then take an immediate left onto a quieter road. You’ll know you’ve gone the correct way if there is now a small car park and an open field with grazing New Forest ponies (and cows) on your left.
7) Continue along the road, passing Aldridge Hill Campsite. At waymarker 264, go straight ahead onto the gravel path.
Bolderford Picnic Area and a Pub Stop
8) Continue along the gravel path as it veers to the left, leading you to the picturesque Bolderford Picnic Area. There is a bridge over the Lymington River here, and it’s a very scenic spot.
9) Pedal across the bridge and follow the trail until you reach a junction. The left-hand path is off-limits to cyclists, so take the right-hand path that passes through an access gate (waymarker 263).
10) Just a few metres further, make a left turn (waymarker 262). This is where, in my opinion, the scenery gets really beautiful — you’ll truly be in the forest now.
11) Stay on the forest track until you come across a gate (waymarker 258). Go through it and make a right turn. Stick to the wide gravel path until you encounter yet another gate.
12) After passing through the gate, you’ll be faced with a bit of an incline up to the top of the hill. Upon reaching the top of the hill, you’ll find one more gate to pass through.
13) Pass through the gate and turn left onto Pinkney Lane. Follow the road as it curves past Thatch House, an adorable cottage you’ll simply have to stop at to admire. Pinkney Lane then continues on towards The Oak Inn, a charming pub where you might want to stop for lunch or a drink.
14) After you’ve enjoyed refreshments at the Oak Inn, retrace your steps back down Pinkney Lane and through the gate you entered earlier.
Along the Deer Sanctuary and the interesting “Dead Trees”
15) Enjoy the downhill ride as you head down the hill you cycled up previously. Go through the gate, and continue cycling until you hit the triangle-shaped junction.
16) Take the path that goes right through the gate (waymarker 257). Continue cycling straight, past waymarker 256. When the track splits at a triangle, take the left-hand fork and follow the trail round, past waymarker 255.
17) You’ll reach a gate (waymarker 254) and pass through onto the border of a deer sanctuary. I’ve personally never seen deer here, but I’m sure they are sometimes seen. On your left, you’ll see a huge cluster of dead-looking trees. They look really quite mysterious and unique — people will likely be stopped here taking photographs.
18) Continue cycling straight ahead, and take the turning that goes off to the right. You’ll now be cycling along a track flanked by open heathland on either side. When you come to the gate (waymarker 253), go through it and follow the gravel path.
Along the edges of Blackwater Arboretum
19) At waymarker 250, turn right. You’ll now be cycling along the edges of Blackwater Arboretum. The scenery here is really pretty.
20) Follow the trail around until you reach Rhinefield Road. You’ll need to cross to enter the trail on the other side, but don’t worry as the road is not too busy.
21) The route is pretty simple here; just keep cycling straight, following the gravel track. You’ll eventually reach a ford which you’ll need to cycle across. Be aware that it’s not always easy to keep your feet completely dry here…
Note: If it’s been raining a lot lately, it might not be possible to cross the ford at all. In this case, I suggest you turn around, head back to Rhinefield Road and take a right. You can follow this road all the way back to Brockenhurst Village.
22) Assuming you have successfully crossed the ford, keep cycling until you reach the crossroads at waymarker 42, and then go left.
23) You’ll end up back on Rhinefield Road (waymarker 241), at which point you’ll turn right onto the road itself. Follow Rhinefield Road round to the left.
Back to Brockenhurst – Two Options
You can make a decision here.
After you’ve been cycling along Rhinefield Road a short way, there will be an off-road track to your left which takes you back into the forest. I personally choose to ignore the forest turning, and instead cycle along Rhinefield Road all the way back to Brockenhurst Village.
Rhinefield Road is really scenic, easy to follow, and isn’t usually too busy. However, if you have children or are not comfortable cycling on roads, you might want to take the forest turning. The forest turning option is longer, though, and will require you to retrace a large part of the route you’ve already done.
Option A – Along Rhinefield Road
24a) If you chose to stick to Rhinefield Road, this will take you all the way to Brockenhurst Village. It’s a very direct road.
25a) Once you see the ford on your left, go across it, and cycle through the village centre. At the end of the road, take a right back to Brockenhurst Railway Station.
Option B – Take the Forest Turning and Retrace Your Steps
24b) If you did take the forest turning, this will loop you back around to waymarker 250, where you’ve been before. You’ll now be retracing your steps back through the forest and back to Brockenhurst. Turn right at waymarker 250, and follow the gravel track down, back past the deer sanctuary and the “dead trees”.
25b) Once you hit the gate (waymarker 257), go through it, and take the right-hand turn through another gate (waymarker 258). Follow the trail round to the right, and continue following the forest track.
26b) Turn right at waymarker 262, go through the gate and turn left to Bolderford Picnic Area.
27b) Take a right at waymarker 264 and cycle up the road. You’ll head back past Aldridge Hill Campsite and out onto Beachern Wood, where there’s that car park and open field which most likely has lots of grazing ponies.
28b) As you reach Rhinefield Road, cross it and head down the gravel track opposite (waymarker 236). Follow the track round the way you came when you started the ride earlier, over the narrow bridge and past the primary school.
29b) Turn left at the primary school onto Sway Road, before taking a right down Avenue Road and then another left onto East Bank Road. Head through the access gate and back to Brockenhurst Railway Station.
Where to hire bikes for your Ornamental Woods ride
You can hire a bicycle from Cyclexperience, which is located right by the railway station in Brockenhurst. They’re very friendly and will kit you out with a helmet and puncture repair kit. They even have an app with a few trails to choose from — including Ornamental Woods — which you can follow using GPS.
I recommend you book your bike hire with them in advance during the busy seasons, which you can do via their website. Hire prices per day are as follows:
| Bike | Hire cost (per day) |
| Standard Mountain Bike | £22 |
| Hybrid | £25 |
| Gravel bike | £30 |
| Off-road eBike | £43 |
| Kids 20″ (5-7 year olds) | £9 |
| Kids 24″ (8-10 year olds) | £10 |
| Youth (11-13 year olds) | £14 |
| Child Trailer | £10 |
| Kids Tag-a-long | £32 |
| Bike & Child Seat | £27 |
About The Author
Lauren Pears is a freelance travel writer and blogger based in London. She writes about active adventure travel, aiming to encourage and inspire travellers to make the most of the great outdoors.
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