komoot
  • Routes
  • Route planner
  • Features
Photo: _PhillBrownRides
Discover
Cycling Routes
United Kingdom
England
South East England
Hampshire

New Forest

The best cycling routes around New Forest

907rides

4.7

(1,354)

30,647 people rode here

Cycling in the New Forest is an absolute joy whether you want to have a multi-day ride and camp, go exploring trails with the children or simply enjoy this fantastic natural space. A historic place, the New Forest was the royal hunting ground of William the Conqueror and has enjoyed protection ever since. 

Cycle routes in the New Forest are particularly friendly on the legs. It’s a mostly flat area with only low hills making the national park wonderful for family bike rides. With over 50 car parks and excellent train and road links, you can begin your ride from wherever you like and find trails immediately. 

Cycle through old beech and oak forests, cross heathlands dotted with New Forest ponies and stop whenever you like at tea rooms or country pubs. The area welcomes cyclists with open arms and wherever you ride, you’ll find the forest is perfectly set up for your adventure. 

Rhinefield Ornamental Woodland loop — New Forest National Park
Easy
01:23
17.6 km
Intermediate
02:08
29.0 km
Intermediate
02:06
27.7 km
Intermediate
02:00
28.3 km
Intermediate
04:14
48.9 km
Easy
01:32
18.7 km
Intermediate
02:03
27.0 km
Expert
01:21
14.6 km
Easy
01:57
25.7 km
Expert
04:06
67.7 km

Plan. Save. Navigate. Your best adventures await.

Start today with a free komoot account.

loading
  1. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
    1
    1
    01:23
    17.6 km
    12.7 km/h
    60 m
    60 m
    Easy

    4.7

    (52)

    569

    Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View
  2. 2
    02:08
    29.0 km
    13.6 km/h
    180 m
    180 m
    Intermediate

    4.9

    (21)

    201

    Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View
  3. Let us show you the way with the komoot mobile app

    With a free komoot account, you can easily find, customize, and navigate endless outdoor adventures around New Forest and beyond.
  4. 3
    02:06
    27.7 km
    13.2 km/h
    220 m
    220 m
    Intermediate

    4.9

    (19)

    183

    Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View
  5. 4
    02:00
    28.3 km
    14.2 km/h
    210 m
    210 m
    Intermediate

    4.9

    (25)

    207

    Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View
  6. 5
    04:14
    48.9 km
    11.6 km/h
    340 m
    340 m
    Intermediate

    4.3

    (9)

    164

    Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View
  7. 6
    01:32
    18.7 km
    12.3 km/h
    90 m
    90 m
    Easy

    4.7

    (13)

    184

    Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View
  8. 7
    02:03
    27.0 km
    13.1 km/h
    130 m
    130 m
    Intermediate

    5.0

    (7)

    127

    Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View
  9. 8
    01:21
    14.6 km
    10.8 km/h
    70 m
    70 m
    Expert

    4.6

    (9)

    126

    Expert bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Some portions of the Tour may require you to push your bike.
    View
  10. 9
    01:57
    25.7 km
    13.2 km/h
    140 m
    140 m
    Easy

    5.0

    (5)

    80

    Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View
  11. 10
    04:06
    67.7 km
    16.5 km/h
    470 m
    470 m
    Expert

    4.6

    (5)

    69

    Expert bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
    View

to see 897 more rides around New Forest.

More Information

The New Forest’s magical woodlands

If there’s one thing that keeps cyclists coming back time and time again to this national park, it’s the exquisite forests. Cycle routes in the New Forest whisk you through ancient woodlands, where old oak trees stoop over grazing deer and squirrels bound across in front of you. 

The Rhinefield Ornamental Drive has towering trees while vast enclosures have dense coniferous forests to ride through. Beech, ash and elm are all common here, along with the impressive oaks.  Bike rides in the New Forest will always bring the magic of exquisite woodlands. 

Trails and tarmac

As a national park, cycling in the New Forest is governed by a few easy rules. Luckily, the forest is particularly welcoming to cyclists and riding here couldn’t be a more pleasant experience at any time of year. 

There’s a huge range of cycle trails throughout the forest where you’ll cover a mixture of paved and gravel routes as well as bridle paths that will take you through stunning areas. Cyclists cannot ride on open forest unless on bridle paths or marked trails and, as usual, it’s important to avoid footpaths. 

Sandwiches and other sustenance

Lay down your trusty steed and enjoy a packed lunch wherever you find yourself, the New Forest is a marvellous place for a picnic. 

Alternatively, you’ll find pubs and tea rooms scattered liberally throughout the park, almost always with bike racks and picnic tables in the sun. Areas like Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst and Ashurst are especially excellent for a lunch stop. 

The animals of the New Forest

You’d struggle to complete any cycle routes in the New Forest without coming across one of its many animal residents. The forest is home to the endemic New Forest ponies, a hardy breed who freely roam across the open land. In spring and summer you’ll see foals springing around and while ponies may approach you for snacks, you should never feed them. 

Donkeys can also be seen roaming and in autumn, you might be lucky enough to catch the pigs, who are released annually to snaffle up the acorns, which are poisonous to horses. With a large deer population and plentiful birds, there’s no such thing as a deserted forest here.

loading
Sign up for free to see 897 more rides around New Forest.
Last updated:
June 19, 2024

Our Tour recommendations are based on thousands of activities completed by other people on komoot.

Learn more

Explore the most popular Tours around New Forest

Hiking around New Forest

Discover the most popular attractions around New Forest

Explore more of Hampshire: Browse the best Cycling Routes in other regions.