Landford and Hamptworth

Key:

• Trail Starting Point
• Trail
• Point of Interest
• Public House
• Trail Steps

Directions

1. Village Hall

   Turn left from the Village Hall following the footpath up hill and round the back of five houses. When the path rejoins the road, cross the road and follow the track straight ahead past houses and along a wooded track with low banks either side. At the far end look for a hidden path and small footbridge on your right for a detour around the ford to re-join the track

2. Home Farm

   At the grassy triangle turn left onto Lyburn road and past a Southern Water utility building. Where the road takes a left bend, turn right following the road straight ahead past lovely little cottages until you reach Home Farm

3. Cole’s Lane

   At Home Farm follow the signpost turning sharp right, past a little cottage and onto an old lane. Follow the lane down through woodland until you reach the main road. Turn left, walking for 20m, before turning right down Cole’s Lane and follow the tree-lined lane uphill to Langley National Nature Reserve. Ignore the first entrance and continue to the next reserve entrance and information panel

4. Langley Wood Nature Reserve

   Go through the metal gate and follow the grassy track into the woodland reserve. At a wooden barrier bear right and follow the path downhill through the wood by the golf course

5. North Common Farm

   Go straight ahead along a wide tree-lined track through the golf course to a crossroads following the path through the metal gate to North Common Farm. Continue ahead through the farmyard turning right by the hedge. Follow the path through the fields and into woodland

6. Towards the Cuckoo

   Walk along the woodland track downhill past Landford Lodge, over the River Blackwater and uphill out into a field. Follow the path when it turns left and keep the hedge on your right. Turn right at a signed path junction and follow the hedge on your right until you reach a gap in the hedge. Turn right through the hedge and head diagonally left across the field to a stile. Head straight across the next small field to a kissing gate and onto Hamptworth Road. To your right is the Cuckoo Inn

7. Hamptworth Manor Farm

   Cross the road to the green and walk along Lyburn Road, passing Hamptworth Manor Farm. Turn left at the grassy triangle to the ford crossing and retrace your steps along the wooded path, across the road and then left along the footpath back to the bus stop.

Landford and Hamptworth

The walk follows a wooded path to a river ford and through pretty woods and fields to Hamptworth Farm. The route then follows the edge of a golf course to Langley Wood and to the little hamlet of Hamptworth before returning back over the ford to Landford.

Langley National Nature Reserve was part of a group of Royal Forests until the 16th century when, unlike the New Forest, they declined and reverted to farmland and landscaped parks.

The reserve’s ancient woodlands have a long history of management and would have provided local people with a valuable source of timber, wood fuel, forage for pigs (known as pannage) and grazing for livestock. Coppicing was particularly important and as you walk through the reserve look for old banks and ditches that mark the boundary of coppice enclosures.

Coppicing is the method of cutting trees such as hazel or oak to ground level on a regular cycle. This produces fast growing shoots for fodder, firewood and making charcoal. The banks would have been topped with a fence or hedge to stop grazing animals and deer eating the young shoots.

Trail Overview

Start/finish:

Lyndhurst Road (church hall) bus stop, Landford, SP5 2AE.

Grid reference

SU 255 196

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Ordnance Survey map:

Explorer OL 22 New Forest.

Distance:

4.7 miles (7.6 km) – 2-3 hours.

Local facilities:

Landford village shop and local information point.

Accessibility:

Fairly easy walking with gentle gradients. Gates, five stiles, footbridge and ford crossing.