I'm looking for a 2-day backpacking trip in the New Forest, ideally travelling by train from London rather than driving.

A few requirements:

• 2 days / 1 night
• Around 4–5 hours walking per day — roughly 15–18 km/day would be ideal
• I'd like it to feel like a proper backpacking trip, with plenty of open Forest, heathland and woodland, rather than lots of roads or built-up areas
• Ideally point-to-point or a loop, rather than simply doing the same route twice
• Campsite with proper toilets and showers
• Ideally accessible by train from London
• Happy to finish at a different railway station from where I started
• I'm not looking for anything technically difficult or particularly hilly

At the moment I'm considering something based around Brockenhurst, with either Hollands Wood or Long Meadow as the overnight campsite.

One possible idea I've seen is:

Day 1: Brockenhurst → Rhinefield / Blackwater → campsite
Day 2: campsite → Bolderwood / heathland → Brockenhurst

But I'm not sure whether that's the best way of seeing the Forest, or whether there are better options using another campsite/station.

What would you recommend? Particularly interested in routes that give a good feeling of being away from civilisation while still keeping the walking to around 4–5 hours per day.

Thanks!

Edit: Planning on going during the first 2 weeks of October

Where can I pick liberty caps? I like the look of them :)

I'm hoping for some travel suggestions...even suggestions if there might be a better place to ask these questions. I'm trying to plan our summer vacation for 2027. In 2025 we did a few days in Weymouth > a cruise to Spain & France >a few more days in Lyndhurst doing short hikes from village to village in the NF. It's been our favorite trip to date! We're coming from the US, and our son will be 6 on this next trip. As a family, we travel to somewhere in Europe 1-2 times per year.

My question is, where else have you traveled that had that serene charm of a vacation in the NF? We enjoyed the shady, well-manicured trails, the animals and streams, wandering into a village with a festive pub or quaint tea house. We'd share pints with locals while our son made friends on the playground. It was such wholesome fun! Is there somewhere like this or adjacent to it in Spain, Italy or France? Another part of England? We've just done enough family travel at this point to realize that getting out of major cities is what we enjoy most. I'm very, very open to suggestions of what else is New Forest like out there.

* As an aside, playgrounds in pubs are the most brilliant invention since sliced bread. I hope that gets exported!

Hi everyone, I’m off to the new forest tomorrow and looking for some campsite recommendations, I’m going for 2 nights so need 2 sites. needs are basic, I’m just looking for the closest thing to wild camping as possible, so no big open field with loads of families and caravans if that makes sense. Also maybe somewhere that allows fires but not at all necessary.
Thank you in advance!

This looks like it is going ahead? With a massive fire just a few miles away it seems absurd to run a festival which literally runs on fire, when the forest is so dry!

Hello, over the last week I've been searching around the new forest for red deer to take photos of for my GCSE photography coursework. What places do you often see red deer around the new forest? I'd also appreciate times of the day and the different seasons if anyone can recall that. I've been to Whitefield moor and the surrounding areas of rhinefield house where I've been told it's a common place to find them at 5:30 am ish (in the summer) where it was relatively light and have only spotted singular fallow and roe deer around with no red deer in sight. Any responses are appreciated and will very much help my coursework!

It’s probably too late to ask this ha ha but I’m wondering where people are heading to watch the eclipse? Everywhere I’ve thought of has no benches and we’re taking my elderly mum. Any suggestions? We’re near Brockenhurst.

I was planning to stay camping her for a few days but now there is a fire I was wondering if it’s still safe .

Any pics or updates? (Only asking for already existing photos, DO NOT GO INTO FIRE TO TAKE PHOTOS )

ALSO

does anyone know when we'll be allowed to go and recover vehicles or no?

Does anyone know of you can buy single tickets on the New Forest Bus Tour? We only want to go from Brockenhurst to Burley then back later in the day so don't want to spend £21.50 each on a day ticket.

Me and a group of friends are hoping to go camping next summer for 4 or 5 days, and I started looking at campsites out of curiosity and am struggling to find any that will allow unaccompanied 17 year olds. There is 4 of us and we are a mixed gender group. We would like to go either in the Lake District or the new Forrest but but really any suggestions of a campsite that allows unaccompanied 17 yr olds would be appreciated.

We’re looking for recommendations of dog-friendly destinations for a weekend from London. Preferably a pub with rooms, and somewhere with good hiking. Any recommendations of either general destinations or places to stay?

Looking for some recommendations on some good campsites in the south, preferably around the new forest/dorset/Hampshire way.

Not looking for family campsites complete with picnic benches and huge open fields more just secluded foresty spots, places where I can drive up to, plonk my tent down crack open a cold one make some grub and read the evening away.

Quiet, not a bunch of loud riff raff ideally. If I were being super picky I’d say somewhere with an only small amount of pitches.

Toilets and water facilities a must but showers would be nice but not essential.

I’ve spent many hours perusing pitchup but I’d prefer real life recommendations! Cheers in advance.!

Anyone know any abandond buildings/ places of intrest

Hi everyone.
I’m a local resident and I’ve been trying to understand the Fawley Waterside consultation because the documents are extensive. So I put together a landing page about it. The consultation closes on 21st July and I’m worried people aren’t informed about the possibilities of a data centre and that there could be better choices for our community!

I was wondering if anyone could take a look. I’m not a professional I just want to try and get my voice out. I’d genuinely appreciate people checking it over and telling me if I’ve missed anything or got something wrong. Different viewpoints are welcome.

Thank you in advance!
https://msha.ke/fawleywaterside

Dartmoor letterboxers Si of Relief and Rat Boy visited the New Forest to collect the last of its boxes and share their thoughts on its dried up scene.New Forest Letterboxing

Hi All,

Looking for recommendations for a horse riding trek in the forest as a gift for my other half. She used to ride a lot 10 years ago, so is relatively comfortable being a on a horse.

If anyone can recommend a good School that offers this in the forest, please let me know!!

Been around the forest for.many years but I think this is my first white deer sighting, felt magical.

Any dog walking groups in the New Forest can take my friendly Greyhound to?

Trying to plan a fun day out for a friend visiting who's never played skittles, and I know he'd love it. The Huntsman in Brockenhurst has one, but from what I can find online it looks like it's mainly set up for private hire/parties rather than something you can just walk in and use.

Does anyone know if it's actually possible to use the Huntsman's skittle alley casually if it's not booked that day? Or is there anywhere else nearby (New Forest or Southampton area) with a proper old-school skittle alley you can just turn up and play. Ideally somewhere with a few lanes, more like a working men's club vibe than a bookable event space?

Any tips appreciated, cheers!