Parking
Start at Rufus Stone Car Park beside the loop; the gravel lot is free to use.
Overview
About Rufus Stone Trail
Why go
- A short path to a distinctive memorial beneath an oak.
- A simple stop for the Forest’s history and a picnic.
Heads up
- Very short; it is a monument visit rather than a longer forest walk.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the New Forest map
Full mapElevation82–82 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Rufus Stone Trail, 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
Rufus Stone0:00 / 0:30
“You're coming up on Rufus Stone, a small cast-iron memorial beneath an oak, reached by a short gravel path.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf New Forest Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Furzey Gardens
- A New Pair Every Year
- Three Lives of Malwood Ridge
- Brook to Minstead 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 Rufus Stone Trail
A short visit to the markerRufus Stone Trail is a 0.
Rufus Stone Trail is a 0.08-mile loop from Rufus Stone Car Park to the cast-iron marker beneath an oak. It follows a short, good gravel path to the monument and returns on the adjacent path. This is a quick heritage stop, not a longer forest walk; allow about half an hour to read the plaque or pause for a picnic.
The story on the stoneThe marker commemorates the reputed death of William II, remembered as William Rufus, in 1100.
The marker commemorates the reputed death of William II, remembered as William Rufus, in 1100. The exact spot is disputed: some historians place the fatal shooting near Beaulieu instead. Treat Rufus Stone as a memorial to the legend, not settled proof of where the arrow fell.
Starting pointBegin at Rufus Stone Car Park, the named access for this loop.
Begin at Rufus Stone Car Park, the named access for this loop. The route is described as an Access For All walk on a good gravel path. A separate six-mile circular uses the same car park but continues farther through the forest to Brook; this short route stays by the monument and returns to the lot. The car park has a gravel surface and is free to use.
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.
