Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, Blackwater Arboretum and Rhinefield House

Walkers enjoy a stroll
amongst the trees of the
Rhinefield Ornamental Drive

Rhinefield! It’s an unusual name that is thought to derive from the Old English for ‘the open land where rye was grown’.

Rhinefield House, built in 1877 on the site of an even older New Forest lodge, the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and the nearby Blackwater Arboretum are all on Rhinefield Road – the road leading from Brockenhurst towards the A35 Lyndhurst-Christchurch road.

The house is now a hotel and apartments, whilst the Ornamental Drive and Arboretum are home to a wonderful collection of exotic trees, many of which were planted in the late 1850s. Mature specimens line the road, whilst a way-marked trail has been created to take visitors on foot past many other notable specimens.

The Tall Trees Trail, a clearly marked circular 2.5 kilometres (1½ miles) walk, starts close to the Blackwater car park – go under the wooden arch on the edge of the car park, cross the road, continue for a short distance along the gravel track leading to the Arboretum, and turn right by the handrails. It also passes the Brock Hill car park which provides an alternative start point, and is on fairly level ground over a quite smooth, gravelled track.
 
Look out in particular for the enormous coast redwoods, giant sequoia, black spruce, red spruce and Douglas firs, and also for the wide range of birds that find food and shelter in the trees – bramblings, siskins, redpolls, bullfinches, goldfinches, goldcrests, firecrests and hawfinches are all regularly seen.

The nearby Arboretum contains an impressive collection of often colourful trees from around the world, and is also well worth a visit.

There is no entrance charge for either the Tall Trees Trail or the Arboretum.