Parking
Whitefield Moor car park is on Rhinefield Road; from Brockenhurst, follow Rhinefield Drive, pass the Aldridge Hill campsite turn, then take the next right. Parking is paid. Toilets, including accessible toilets, are at the car park.
Overview
About Ober Water Trail (Red Route)
Why go
- Three footbridges link a shaded streamside walk with an open heathland return.
Heads up
- Paths can be muddy after rain, with small eroded lips at bridge approaches.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the New Forest map
Full mapElevation19–41 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 Ober Water Trail (Red Route), 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
Whitefield Moor and Ober Water0:00 / 0:29
“You're approaching Whitefield Moor, where open heath meets the wooded banks of Ober Water. This is a good place to stop for a picnic and a short walk, with room to spread out near the car park.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Snake You Rarely See
- Brockenhurst the Hospital Village
- Blackwater Arboretum and Tall Trees
- Horseshoe Bottom Loop
- 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 Ober Water Trail (Red Route)
The red loopThe Ober Water Trail’s red route is an easy 1.6-mile loop from Whitefield Moor car park.
The Ober Water Trail’s red route is an easy 1.6-mile loop from Whitefield Moor car park. It follows the wooded stream for the longer of the two signed options, then returns across Whitefield Moor. Allow about 40 minutes at a steady walking pace, with extra time for stops beside the water.
Along Ober WaterLeave the car park heading west on the shared red-and-yellow path.
Leave the car park heading west on the shared red-and-yellow path. The trail passes the nearby road bridge called Puttles Bridge, then crosses a smaller footbridge and turns right, keeping the stream on your right through tall pines. The path reaches a second bridge with a bench. Here, yellow markers head back to the car park for a shorter 1-mile loop of about 25 minutes; stay on the red route to continue through the woods.
The return across the moorThe red route reaches a third footbridge.
The red route reaches a third footbridge. Turn right over it, follow the tree-lined avenue away from the stream, then take the red-marked turn across open Whitefield Moor to the car park. The bridge names are easy to mix up: the wooden crossings are footbridges over Ober Water; Puttles Bridge is the road bridge nearby. The walk’s character changes from close, leafy streamside paths to a more open return.
Footing and facilitiesForestry England describes gravel and compacted grass, gentle slopes, and a noticeable descent…
Forestry England describes gravel and compacted grass, gentle slopes, and a noticeable descent to the river followed by a climb back out. The route is short and generally easy, but paths can be muddy after rain. Erosion can leave small lips at bridge approaches, so watch your footing. Whitefield Moor car park is on Rhinefield Road; parking is paid, and toilets, including accessible toilets, are at the lot. Dogs are allowed; keep them on a lead around New Forest ponies.
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.
