Parking
The start is Chapel Stores on Chapel Lane, East Boldre (SO42 7WP), with a large car park by the shop. You can also join the circuit at Hatchet Pond, Hatchet Moor or Beaulieu Heath car parks.
Overview
About Chapel Stores Walk
Why go
- The route links heathland, Hatchet Pond and Beaulieu Letters
- Chapel Stores is on the loop for snacks
Heads up
- The crossing beside Hatchet Pond can be wet underfoot
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the New Forest map
Full mapElevation33–39 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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 Chapel Stores Walk, 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 trailhead
East Boldre and the Beaulieu Letters0:00 / 0:23
“You're approaching Chapel Stores in East Boldre, the start of a nearly four-mile heathland loop past Hatchet Pond and the Beaulieu Letters.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hatchet Pond
- The Oak Shapes Inside a Warship
- Hatchet Pond's Rare Leech
- Beaulieu to Buckler's Hard Riverside Walk
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Chapel Stores Walk
What the route isThis is a 3.
This is a 3.7-mile (6 km) level loop from Chapel Stores in East Boldre, crossing heathland to Hatchet Pond and the open area marked Beaulieu Letters before returning by the village football pitch. Allow about two hours. At this length, with a wet crossing on the way, it is a moderate walk rather than a quick pond-side stroll.
Walking the loopFrom the shop, cross the village road and follow tracks onto the heath, then continue around…
From the shop, cross the village road and follow tracks onto the heath, then continue around Hatchet Pond toward Hatchet Moor. The route turns around the rectangular open ground called Beaulieu Letters, passes the football pitch and returns to Chapel Stores. It stays mostly level, with no sustained climb. The crossing beside the pond can be wet underfoot, so walking boots or wellies are useful.
Start and practicalsBegin at Chapel Stores on Chapel Lane, East Boldre (SO42 7WP); there is a large car park by the…
Begin at Chapel Stores on Chapel Lane, East Boldre (SO42 7WP); there is a large car park by the shop. The store is on the loop for drinks, snacks and ice cream. You can also join from Hatchet Pond, Hatchet Moor or Beaulieu Heath car parks. Dogs are allowed under the New Forest code: keep them close and under effective control, stay on the main tracks and follow seasonal signs around nesting birds.
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.
