Rout through new forest

[mina]

This post is for John Bull, or others with input. John, you provided great suggestions for our post cruise rental car tour from Southampton. Our first night is in Salisbury, with a night tour of Stonehenge. We plan to be off our ship by am and have our rental car by 9 am. I would like to spend the morning exploring the new forest area and arriving in Salisbury around 2 pm or so in time to check into the hotel and grab lunch before the night tour. You had graciously offered to provide more detailed recommendations on where to go in the new forest. Would really appreciate your input. I was thinking we might drive down to the coast and then head back up to Salisbury. Is that doable in our available time. It will be a Saturday in early June. Thank you!

[John Bull]

Hi Mina,

 

Here’s a route I’ve entered onto Googlemaps.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/50.8997666,-1.4086209/51.064317,-1.7939582/@50.9075896,-1.6213841,11z/data=!4m44!4m43!1m40!3m4!1m2!1d-1.3089652!2d50.8197045!3s0x48747ac822ba5b09:0xa3a18de8f7461f22!3m4!1m2!1d-1.4215579!2d50.7970948!3s0x487479a0eb5b0b83:0xbb6e561f4ca6958e!3m4!1m2!1d-1.5674784!2d50.827157!3s0x4873861ae2cd9c03:0xbdd5ec521429247a!3m4!1m2!1d-1.5764822!2d50.8192379!3s0x4873860bff06d2fb:0xcc78aa76e786d9c2!3m4!1m2!1d-1.6120369!2d50.8221258!3s0x487385918f6b4109:0xd4945f5f7677f51a!3m4!1m2!1d-1.6391499!2d50.8588317!3s0x48738fa0e2b49a1d:0xbb495a5164a2d775!3m4!1m2!1d-1.6540683!2d50.9377309!3s0x48738dc6d2fd6abf:0xc6ee0c9b0e0c93f8!3m4!1m2!1d-1.7544261!2d50.9922737!3s0x48739336e9989c15:0x1e342377892030d7!1m0!3e0

 

If you have a GPS-linked phone or tablet it might be worth tracing that route onto it. Alternatively pump the various places into the car's GPS.

 

That route will give you a viewpoint across Southampton Water and the Solent, and a variety of the New Forest’s different faces.

About 60 miles total, theoretically a little over 2 hours but more likely you’ll take 3 hours, plus stops.

The first half-hour is necessarily on main roads, but hopefully little truck traffic on a Saturday.

 

Set your GPS to Calshot - or if it doesn’t recognise Calshot, use Fawley.

This will take you west out of Southampton on the A35.

Use flyovers to avoid traffic heading for the docks and M271 motorway.

After crossing the head of Southampton Water, at the first roundabout (I think you call them traffic islands) take the first exit, signed Fawley A326.

Follow A326 Fawley for 8 miles, across four roundabouts.

 

(if for whatever reason - time, weather, etc - you need to delete Calshot & its coastal views, at the third roundabout head direct to Beaulieu, it's only about 3 miles)

 

The fifth roundabout is smaller - take the first exit, signed B3053 Calshot, Fawley Refinery 2 & 3.

In just over 3 miles you will reach the Solent shore. You can drive along the shore for about a mile, past beach huts & the former flying-boat hangers (now an activity centre) to Calshot Spit, with its coastguard tower, lifeboat station, diminutive little Henry V111 castle, and its views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight and up Southampton Water - you might even see your ship in the distance.

(alternatively, when your ship arrives in Southampton, be up on deck at about four in the morning :rolleyes: & you'll see Calshot Spit from a different perspective ;))

 

Set your GPS to Beaulieu. About 7 miles.

Re-trace your route back toward Southampton for 2 - 3 miles & take a side road left signed Beaulieu, Exbury.

In only ¼ of a mile, fork right, brown sign Gang Warily.

In half a mile, continue straight ahead at lights, signed Beaulieu.

In a mile or so you will come out onto open Forest heathland.

In another mile is the Royal Oak (too early for a beer?). Yield at the junction & turn left signed Beaulieu.

Drop down into Beaulieu (beware stubborn donkeys, I’m sure they deliberately walk down the middle of the road just to screw up the traffic :D)

 

Set GPS to Brookley Road, Brockenhurst. It's about 6 miles.

Entering Beaulieu, the Beaulieu River is on your left, Bishop’s Palace on your right https://www.beaulieu.co.uk/attractions/

(the visitor entrance is further on & the other side of the mill pond, but you won’t have time).

Cross the river at the tidal mill, and turn left onto the B3056/3055.

 

Just a couple of hundred yards beyond the village is a lane on the left, signed Bucklers Hard. Two miles down that lane is the little one-street 17th / 18th century ship-building village of Bucklers Hard. Small maritime museum, Master Builder’s pub, some empty cottages open to the public. Parking charge.

Back same-way to the B3056/3055, & turn left for Brockenhurst.

 

Stay on the B3055 to its end (ignore any short-cut suggested by GPS, it puts you the wrong side of a rail crossing & a potential delay)

At the end of the B3055, turn left onto the main A337, signed Lymington.

In about a mile, just before the rail crossing, turn right onto Brookley Road, the village main street.

 

Give the GPS a rest for a while - its no good for the next bit.

At the far end of Brookley Road go through the ford (no worries in summer) and turn right, signed Rhinefield. This takes you through Rhinefield Ornamental Drive.

 

In about 5 miles, yield at the main A35, and go straight across it into Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive. This is the most narrow & twisty bit of the route, but not too difficult.

 

In 3 miles, at the top of the Drive, yield & turn left signed Fritham, Linwood.

This takes you under the main A31 (no access) and onto open heathland.

 

To continue on the route, in about a mile take the side road to the right, signed Stoney Cross.

(Or for a beer or pub lunch, ignore that turning and in a further mile turn right, signed High Corner Inn, down an unpaved road. The inn is about half-a-mile. Then return to that side road for Stoney Cross.)

 

Set GPS to Downton (Wiltshire), about 10 miles.

In about 2 miles, turn left at the end of the Stoney Cross road, signed Bramshaw & Fritham.

In one mile take the left fork, signed Nomansland.

In one mile yield at the 4-way & turn left (no sign).

(or for a beer or pub-lunch, go straight across that 4-way, & in about a mile The Lamb is on your left in the village of Nomansland. Then return to that 4-way & turn right)

 

In one mile fork right, signed Downton B3080.

This will take you out of the Forest & down to cross the River Avon at Downton.

 

Set GPS to your Salisbury destination. About 6 miles, 10-15 minutes.

At the far end of Downton, turn right at the lights onto the A338, signed Salisbury.

 

The route is all on metalled roads, most of them comfortably wide.

There's a blanket 40mph limit throughout the Forest. Beware ponies (especially the young 'uns) & cattle, and the occasional donkey & pig. Deer are rarely seen in daylight except perhaps from a great distance.

 

In the villages it's reasonably easy parking, little shops, tea-rooms & pubs.

Plenty of small gravelled parking lots in the Forest. If you want to take a walk in the Forest I suggest either Rhinefield or Bolderwood Drives, but do make sure your luggage etc is out-of-sight & the car locked, because isolated Forest parking lots are targeted by thieves.

 

If you vary the route - intentionally or otherwise ;) - it’s all part of the fun.

But be sure to avoid roads into Lyndhurst – it has a gyratory system that gums up throughout the summer, and especially at weekends. It could cost you an hour and more.

 

Hope this helps

 

JB :)

[Formerly known as Seabee]

I plan to visit New Forest the morning of embarkation. Would like to take train into the area from Southampton and spend 4-5 hours biking or hiking; then return train to Southampton around 2:00. Any suggestion as to which town in NF I should use as terminus considering access by train and things to see?

[John Bull]

I plan to visit New Forest the morning of embarkation. Would like to take train into the area from Southampton and spend 4-5 hours biking or hiking; then return train to Southampton around 2:00. Any suggestion as to which town in NF I should use as terminus considering access by train and things to see?

 

Your time is very limited on embarkation day, you'll probably have to check-in at the cruise terminal about 2.30 or 3pm. So do check the latest check-in time.

And allow for getting from Southampton central rail station to the cruise terminal - direct it's no more than ten minutes by taxi to any cruise terminal, but I'm guessing you'll have to go via your hotel to pick up your luggage.

And although trains are pretty reliable you should aim to catch at least the one before the last possible one back to Southampton - you really don't need to miss your sailing :eek:

 

But if you want to figure it out.........

 

Simplest is to rent a bike from

http://www.countrylanes.co.uk/ which is at Brockenhurst rail station.

Or http://www.cyclex.co.uk/brockenhurst/ which is a five minute walk from there.

 

Direct trains from Southampton central to Brockenhurst are half-hourly or better, journey time 15 to 20 minutes, fare about £7 day-return.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

JB :)

[mina]

Thank you so much John. Sounds like a perfect route!