Access to the National Park

We’re working with Active Travel England to increase the number of local journeys being walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030 and make active travel a part of everyday life.

As part of a partnership with Active Travel England across all English national parks, we worked on plans and projects to help set out the ambition for investment in walking and cycling for the next 10 years.

Using a £100,000 grant from the Active Travel England National Parks Capability Fund we commissioned:

• a study into safer crossings for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders on the A35
• an off-road cycle network wayfinding study to help people navigate more effectively
• a feasibility study on the best cycle route from Lyndhurst to Lymington.

The grant has also supported our work to help produce a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for the New Forest area.

We have also worked with Sustrans to audit the National Cycle Network within the National Park boundary (NCN2 and NCN236) and recommend improvements.

Developed after a large number of responses to a consultation, the New Forest Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) sets out priorities for enhancing active travel in the National Park, while ensuring that its special qualities are protected and where possible enhanced.

It proposes an extensive network of cycle routes across the area (linked to the Waterside area which has its own LCWIP) together with walking zones for the main residential settlements.

It was prepared in partnership with Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council, the New Forest National Park Authority and Forestry England.

A two-mile section of the former Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway line at Breamore that was closed in 1964 is being transformed into a public footpath. Work with volunteers is creating a wildlife-rich habitat corridor running through the parishes of Breamore and Fordingbridge, between South Charford and Burgate Cross. The project has received £300,000 of funding from the Landscape Enhancement Initiative.

Other recent improvements have included:

• Improved bridges and gates have been installed along the Lepe Loop promoted walking route.
• The Blackwater Arboretum accessible trail has benefited from improved surfacing, fencing, and signage.
• Major accessibility improvements have been made on the Knightwood Oak Trail, including 300 metres of accessible gravel surfacing, adding an accessible parking bay, new interpretation boards, and surface and drainage upgrades to the car park. The work by Forestry England was funded by the NPA through a £50,000 grant from Defra’s Access for All fund as part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the National Park is accessible to all.
• 100 metres of paths have been surfaced at Copythorne Common along with four upgraded signposts and three gates.
• New footpath gates replaced two old stiles in Sway, thanks to funding from a legacy gift from former National Park member and Sway resident Stephen Tarling.

Each year hundreds of people join our autumn Walking Festival heading out into the forest and coast with expert guides to learn more about the National Park.

The New Forest walking app is downloaded by nearly 30,000 people each year. The app contains 40 routes to try, with GPS navigation that shows where you are on the route in real-time as you walk. It works without mobile phone signal too – perfect for exploring the Forest.

With our partners we run campaigns asking people to follow the New Forest Code and in particular to keep to the main tracks from March to July to protect rare ground nesting birds and to follow the dog walking code.

The New Forest Tour is a key part of our aim to encourage more people to leave their cars at home. Around 35,000 journeys are made by people on the New Forest Tour bus instead of by car each summer. The three scenic routes saved an estimated 200,000 private car miles last year.

The Tour also provides a boost to local businesses contributing an estimated £567,000 to the New Forest economy while stopping at local villages and attractions.

The Tour is operated by Morebus in partnership with the New Forest National Park Authority and is sponsored by local businesses.

The King Charles III England Coast Path National Trail will be the longest managed coastal path in the world. It will go all the way around the coast of England and will be around 2,700 miles long when it is complete.

As the Access Authority it’s our role to help Natural England establish the England Coast Path in the New Forest National Park. We were delighted to have opened the western-most three miles of the Calshot to Portsmouth section from Calshot to Hythe.

In January 2026 two sections – from Hurst Spit to Lymington Bridge and from Lower Exbury House to Calshot – were approved and we are in the process of establishing them.

We continue to work with Natural England and landowners to establish other sections between Highcliffe and Calshot.

For any questions, please contact the National Park Authority Lead Access and Volunteering Officer, Adam Vasey, on 07384 517633 or email adam.vasey@newforestnpa.gov.uk.

Around 100 people from businesses and organisations joined together in November 2025 for the National Park Authority’s first Transport Summit.

The aim was to develop a vision of integrated sustainable transport in the National Park.

Read the Transport Summit 2025 Report in the documents tab at the bottom of this page.

The New Forest National Park is a popular destination for cycling due to 100 miles of off-road cycle tracks, stunning scenery and beautiful wildlife.

The PEDALL charity, set up by the National Park Authority, aims to make cycling in the New Forest available to anyone, no matter what challenges they may face.

The charity uses a wide range of specially designed bikes which offer different seating positions. The bikes have three or four wheels to increase stability, as well as straps and harnesses to help support body weight.

PEDALL has a team of dedicated volunteers who have a real passion for working with and engaging people with a disability or who need support to cycle in an outdoor environment.

Visit the PEDALL website for more information.