Tatchbury Mount
Summary
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New Forest Walking Guides
Tatchbury Mount
This lovely walk goes along old droves lanes and past an Iron Age hillfort.
Key:
- Trail Starting Point
- Trail
- Point of Interest
- Car Park
- Trail Steps
Directions
Hanger Farm
From Hanger Farm Arts Centre head northeast following the path across fields to enter the housing development. Cross the parking area on your right to reach the footpath into Mansergh Way. Soon this path goes left to join Michigan Way; turn left again and follow the pavement uphill past Morrison’s superstore
Past Morrisons
When you reach the bus stop, cross Michigan Way at the pinch-point and continue straight on into Oleander Drive to re-join the original route. Turn left along Oleander Drive and soon you will see Hazel Farm, which is in the Corylus Court development
The Droveway
Cross the road to reach the gravel path that goes through the underpass head straight on at the signpost and following a wide old droves track that leads to Tatchbury Lane. Turn right onto the tarmacked road and walk down it for 10 mins looking out for a footpath on the right winding through the trees of Tatchbury Copse
Tatchbury Copse
Follow the trail through the woodland and into farmland with the Tatchbury Hospital site visible on the right. To the left is an old walled garden on the site of the former Tatchbury Mount Estate. Keep going until you hit the another signpost and head right skirting round the southern earthworks of the hillfort
Across the Fields
The path leaves the woods and opens out onto farmland with views over Netley Marsh. Head down hill following the oak field boundaries, through a couple of kissing gates and back towards the underpass. The trail route then follows your original route back to Hanger Farm.
- Hanger Farm
- Past Morrisons
- The Droveway
- Tatchbury Copse
- Across the Fields
Tatchbury Mount
This trail starts at Hanger Farm Arts Centre, a restored Grade II listed timber framed barn, and heads up and around the Iron Age hillfort of Tatchbury Mount.
Walk along some of our oldest routes, now covered with a canopy of trees, and in the spring, areas are carpeted with bluebells and other wildflowers. Any road noise soon drifts away as you seem to journey back in time. Please note, this route may be extremely muddy in parts and we recommend wellies or other suitable footwear.
Before the gate joining Tatchbury Lane look north for the white building in the distance; Tatchbury Manor which is the only remnant of a lost medieval ‘village’ first recorded in AD903. Exploring local history here can be tricky as there are two ‘Tatchburys’ to consider, Tatchbury village here and the more recent Tatchbury Mount estate.
An entry in the Domesday Survey states that Tatchbury had become part of the New Forest before 1086. But another entry in the survey recorded Tatchbury as abandoned with no inhabitants. Perhaps Tatchbury village was ‘destroyed’ during the creation of the New Forest in the late 11th century. By 1475 Tatchbury village disappears from all records. The hill fort is from the Iron Age (800BC to AD43) and sat on a prominent clay hill on the north eastern edge of the New Forest. The hillfort defences completely enclosed the hilltop, forming an oval shaped for roughly the size of two and a half football pitches. Opinions differ over whether Iron Age hillforts had defensive or ceremonial functions. Due to the extensive disturbance to Tatchbury Mount hillfort, little evidence remains of how it was used. The entire site was landscaped in the 18th century when the manor house and gardens were built. The original entrance is now the road access to the site of the mansion, demolished in 2006.
Trail Overview
- Start/finish:
- Hanger Farm Art Centre, SO40 8FT.
- Grid reference
- SU 337 135
- what3words
- what3words.com/expires.bike.enjoys
- Ordnance Survey map:
- Explorer OL 22 New Forest.
- Distance:
- 3 miles (4.8km) – 2 hours.
- Local facilities:
- Parking at Hanger Farm Arts Centre.
- Accessibility:
- Mostly flat, with some shallow to medium inclines. Pavement, unsurfaced path with some muddy patches. Short section on road. Some stiles, gates and narrow wooden footbridges.
