Parking
Poulner Lakes car park; head north across the grassy area to the bridge.
Overview
About Ringwood, Rockford Common and Beyond
Why go
- Links Rockford Common with a stream-side return.
- A full loop without a long out-and-back.
Heads up
- Several gravel junctions need the turn sequence.
- Includes short lane sections and road crossings.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the New Forest map
Full mapElevation20–73 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 Ringwood, Rockford Common and Beyond, 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 area
The Heron That Vanishes in Reeds0:00 / 0:27
“At Blashford Lakes in winter, a bittern can hide in plain sight among the reeds. It's a stocky heron with buff and brown streaks that match the dry stems.”
Plays on the road 0.6 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Stones That Boiled Water
- What the Huff Duff Heard
- The Fire That Changed Identity
- The Forest's Hidden Returnee
- 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 Ringwood, Rockford Common and Beyond
The loopRingwood, Rockford Common and Beyond is a 3.5-mile circular walk from Poulner Lakes car park.
Ringwood, Rockford Common and Beyond is a 3.5-mile circular walk from Poulner Lakes car park. It crosses a grassy area to a bridge, follows a path to Highwood Lane, then climbs through a gate onto Rockford Common. Gravel tracks carry the route across the common before it descends to a lane and returns along sections of the Avon Valley Path and a stream-side footpath. Allow about 1¾ hours for the short climb, junctions and road crossings.
Across the commonThe route’s uphill section is brief; several gravel-track junctions are the main navigation…
The route’s uphill section is brief; several gravel-track junctions are the main navigation commitment. At Foxglove Corner, continue straight to the five-way junction and take the left track. Turn left again at the next cross track, then keep left along the fence of Chatley Wood House before descending through a gate. Those landmarks help distinguish the right descent from the other tracks. This is a short countryside loop rather than a strenuous hike.
Return and accessThe return follows lanes for short stretches, crosses local roads and rejoins the Avon Valley…
The return follows lanes for short stretches, crosses local roads and rejoins the Avon Valley Path. Later, turn off by the stream for the bridge back toward Poulner Lakes. Dogs are allowed in the New Forest; keep them under control on main tracks and use a lead where needed from March through August to protect ground-nesting birds. Start at Poulner Lakes car park and head north across the grass to the first bridge.
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.
