Burley

Smugglers Way

We were visiting friends in Christchurch and were taken for this lovely walk in the New Forest near Burley. The walk began at the Vales Moor car park, and we began by following a track uphill heading north east. The view back was delightful.


A bit further on a small ridge marked the line of a minor road from Burley up to the A31.


We crossed the road and headed on the same line, now more or less parallel with the A31, skirted the tip of Ridley Wood and walked across Ridley Plain. Quite a sparse area, with gorse bushes and scattered trees.


We then made a couple of right turns to skirt woodland where we saw our first New Forest ponies ...


... and walked across more open ground into the other end of Ridley Wood. Here we saw the sunken lane known as the Smugglers Way - apparently Burley was a major smuggling centre in the 18th and 19th centuries. This is a bit surprising as it is a fair way from the sea, but presumably smuggled goods continue to need secret transport once they are in the country.

In the woods we saw an unusual tree stump, and were surprised to see the resident wood sprite.


Emerging from the wood we crossed a classic New Forest stream, complete with ponies grazing on the grassy banks.


We climbed up to the ridge, crossed the minor road again and followed a winding track back to the car park.



Distance: about 5 miles.

Conditions: warm, sunny.

Rating: three and half stars.