Best time to go
Early in the day or midweek is calmer and easier for parking. Spring through autumn shows the woodland character at its clearest, while wet spells are better suited to the short gravel loops than the longer Radnor Trail.
Overview
About Bolderwood Arboretum
The viewing platform remains, but there is no longer a deer sanctuary or feeding station at this location. Treat the platform as a quiet place to look for wild fallow deer rather than a guaranteed sighting. Many visitors see none at all, so plan the walk around the woodland itself and treat deer as a bonus.
Why stop
- Mature woodland with old Douglas firs
- Three circular walks with a short deer-viewing loop
Heads up
- Deer sightings are not guaranteed
- Can be crowded on sunny weekends
This stretch of woodland sits on an old coaching route and holds some of the oldest Douglas firs in the New Forest, with some trees dating to 1860. South of the car park lies extensive ancient and ornamental woodland with native trees, veteran trees, and rare wildlife and plants, along with landscape links to the former Royal Forest and deer park. A royal hunting lodge stood at Bolderwood as early as 1325, in the reign of Edward II, and was demolished in the 18th century.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop hereMap
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Best time to go
1 active New Forest alert
- CautionNew Forest outdoor-fire restrictionDo not use BBQs, campfires, stoves, outdoor camping equipment or other naked flames on the open Forest.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
New Forest Tour Guide
Your drive to Bolderwood Arboretum, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for New Forest National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Bolderwood Woodland0:00 / 0:27
“You're coming up on Bolderwood, where Douglas firs planted in the 1860s tower above a set of short woodland walks.”
Plays as you drive up to Bolderwood Arboretum in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Cross Before D-Day
- Why the Woods Have Edges
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- Who Made Cadman's Pool?
- 283 audio storiesacross New Forest’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, White-tailed Eagle, Harbor Seal, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 70 trails, 48 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Bolderwood Arboretum
What you can doWalk the waymarked circular trails from the car park.
- Walk the waymarked circular trails from the car park.
- Cycle in the surrounding forest.
- Picnic, with benches and picnic tables along parts of the routes.
- Look out over forest and meadows from the trail viewpoint, and watch for wild deer from the deer viewing platform.
Three trail choicesDeer Watch Trail (yellow posts): 0.75 km / 0.5 mile, about 15 minutes.
- Deer Watch Trail (yellow posts): 0.75 km / 0.5 mile, about 15 minutes. A short circular stroll to a viewpoint over forest and meadows, on moderately smooth gravel with gentle slopes. There is a gate with a low catch and benches along the way.
- Jubilee Trail (blue markers): 1.6 km / 1 mile, about 25 minutes. A circular route past majestic trees, including trees dating to 1860, on moderately smooth gravel with two short steep slopes, a gate with a low catch, and frequent resting places.
- Radnor Trail (red markers): 3.2 km / 2 miles, about 50 minutes. This circular route enters the heart of ancient and modern woodland, crosses Bratley Water, and passes the deer viewing platform, where a herd of fallow deer can often be seen. Benches and picnic tables are along the way, with moderately smooth gravel, two short steep slopes, frequent resting places, and a return to the car park.
Practical preparationThere is a car park and toilets on site.
- There is a car park and toilets on site.
- Outdoor cooking and barbecues are banned across the New Forest, so bring cold food if you plan to picnic.
- Trails are gravel with gentle to short steep slopes, so sturdy footwear helps, especially after rain.
- Two of the routes pass through a gate with a low catch.
Honest tradeoffsDeer sightings are not guaranteed, and sunny weekends can be very busy, when parking and…
Deer sightings are not guaranteed, and sunny weekends can be very busy, when parking and following trail directions can feel less straightforward. Wet weather can leave forest paths muddy, so choose the shorter Deer Watch Trail if conditions or time are tight.
Wildlife
Wildlife in New Forest
28 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
10 sightingsWhite-tailed EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
14 sightingsHarbor SealMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
176 sightingsEuropean Fallow DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
93 sightingsWestern Roe DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
54 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across New Forest. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
