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Pony near Hampton Ridge
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***** For information about New Forest access restrictions and related matters, check out the Forestry England website. *****

Burley walks - New Forest

Wildlife-rich Holmsley Bog, visited during the Castleman's Corkscrew walk
Wildlife-rich Holmsley Bog, visited during walk 2, the Castleman's Corkscrew walk

Check out these great Burley walks.

All can be started from Burley village centre and they are therefore convenient for users of local bus services including, in season, New Forest Tour buses. They also pass close to, or through, Forestry Commission or other car parks situated on, or near, the main walk routes, which provide convenient alternative start points.

The walks are of broadly similar length - 3 to 3½ miles (around 4.8 to 5.5 kilometres), excluding the distance from the village centre to the main start points. There are no really steep gradients, and few stiles over which to climb.

Please note: Charges apply for use of the car park near the Queens Head in Burley village centre. Free parking is, however, available in Forestry Commission car parks.

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New Forest seasonal highlights
September
Dragonflies and damselflies remain on the wing and so do butterflies, but in ever decreasing numbers.
Hen harriers and other autumn and winter visiting birds begin to arrive in the Forest.
New Forest fungi - mushrooms and toadstools increasingly appear in the woods.
Red deer start to noisily rut as stags roar songs of love across favoured heaths.


October
Ancient, unenclosed woodlands and broad-leaved inclosures increasingly take on colourful autumnal hues.
Grey squirrels frantically seek out and store acorns for use during the cold days of winter.
Fallow deer boisterously rut for two or three weeks around the middle of the month before the bucks leave the does and eventually re-form their own male-only 'buck herds'.
** New Forest ponies and other animals**
The New Forest
Commoners' ponies, cattle, pigs, sheep and donkeys are a popular part of the New Forest scene, but during 2019 agisters attended 159 road traffic accidents involving these animals, a small but disappointing increase on the 154 accidents attended in 2018.

Sadly, 58 animals were killed - 35 ponies, 13 cows, 8 donkeys and 2 sheep, whilst a further 32 were injured - 3 pigs, 9 donkeys, 11 cows and 9 ponies.

(Forty-three accidents occurred in daylight, 15 at twilight and 101 in the dark. Twenty-seven accidents were not reported by the driver involved).

Here's just one horrific example - Three donkeys killed in collision with van at notorious New Forest blackspot (Advertiser and Times)
** Always take care when driving **
Content produced by Andrew Walmsley
Content produced by Andrew Walmsley