Bolton's Bench

Overview

About Bolton's Bench

Why stop

Open views across heathland and ancient woodland
Free-roaming ponies and cattle are often nearby

Heads up

Can be congested around midday and at weekends

A short walk from Lyndhurst brings you to a low, grassy hill topped with ancient yew trees. It is a quick stop rather than a long outing, and the reward is straightforward: you climb a modest slope, sit under the yews, and look out across heathland, ancient woodland and grassy lawns. It is a timeless gateway to the New Forest, and it is treated locally as a landmark rather than just a place to leave the car.

Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop here

Map

Where it is

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Full map

SightBolton's Bench50.87157, -1.56890

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

Visitors report that things get congested around midday and at weekends in and around Lyndhurst, so an early start or a weekday visit is the sensible choice if you want the hill quieter. The other tradeoff is simple: this is a viewpoint and a landmark, not a facility, so treat the village as your base for anything beyond the walk and the view.

Facilities and what is nearby

There are no toilets or picnic areas at Bolton's Bench itself. Plan around that, because Lyndhurst centre is only about a five-minute walk away and has what you need:

Toilets and food, including tearooms, pubs, restaurants and coffee houses
The New Forest Heritage Centre and Museum
Village shops selling local goods and crafts

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

New Forest alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

New Forest Tour Guide

Your drive to Bolton's Bench, 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

Lyndhurst Village and Bolton's Bench

0:00 / 0:35

“You're approaching Lyndhurst, where the New Forest Heritage Centre sits beside the main village car park. Inside, a seven and a half metre embroidery tells around 900 years of Forest history through the seasons.”

Plays as you drive up to Bolton's Bench in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.

More about Bolton's Bench

What you see and doWalk to the top of the hill among the ancient yews, where benches sit beneath the trees.

Walk to the top of the hill among the ancient yews, where benches sit beneath the trees.
Open views over heathland, ancient woodland and the grassy lawns that run out from the village edge.
The Lyndhurst War Memorial Cross stands next to the car park.
A little durable history: the landmark commemorates the Duke of Bolton, an 18th-century New Forest Master Keeper, and the giant yew at the top is the traditional spot to sit for the view.

Getting up thereFrom Lyndhurst the approach is easy going.

From Lyndhurst the approach is easy going. Pavement gives way to grass, then a path leads to a pedestrian gate and up the hill. There is a car park serving the site if you would rather not walk in from the village.

Ponies and cattleNew Forest ponies and cattle are likely to be seen here on the open grass, though nothing is…

New Forest ponies and cattle are likely to be seen here on the open grass, though nothing is guaranteed on any given visit.

Do not feed or pet the livestock, and keep your distance.
Do not eat food near the ponies, as they can become a nuisance.

Wildlife

Wildlife in New Forest

All New Forest wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across New Forest. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.