From Brockenhurst railway station entrance head diagonally left across the car park and go through either of two pedestrian gates (wheelchair ramp).

Turn left then first right along Avenue Road to reach the B3055. Cross the road, go right, and then left along The Rise to a junction opposite St Saviour’s Church. The church is a striking example of late Victorian Gothic architecture. The original intention of the wealthy Walker-Munro family was to build a private chapel for their residence, Rhinefield House, situated two miles west of Brockenhurst, but the then vicar suggested a new and larger church on village land they owned. Work started in 1895 and the opening ceremony was held ten years later.

Once you’ve had a good look, turn right along the pavement passing the picturesque ford known as the Watersplash at end of Brookley Road. Keep ahead along Rhinefield Road and in quarter of a mile, at a gravel path intersection just before a road junction, fork right to Meerut Road, which adjoins the grassland known as Butts Lawn (lawn is a New Forest word for a grassy area used for grazing). The road was named in honour of the 7th Meerut Indian Army Division, whose soldiers were among the first casualties to arrive in the village in 1914 from World War I.

Cross the road and take the gravel path opposite for almost one mile over a large grassy area called Black Knowl to a path junction (post 264) at its far corner. A brief detour right leads to the Lymington River at pretty Bolderford Bridge.

At post 264 go left (or keep ahead after detouring) along a wide gravel cycle track to a barrier at the end. Keep ahead along the access road past Ober Corner car park for 250 yards to a turning on the right to Aldridge Hill Campsite.

Turn right, crossing Ober Water, and keep ahead to a white cottage at the end. Pass to its left and soon fork left opposite a wooden shed. Follow the path through trees, over an Ober Water footbridge, and keep ahead to a road.

Bear right and follow the road to Beachern Wood car park. Cross the car park and head diagonally left over grass to a road (not far from a junction, left). Stay on the lane to the junction and go right to a track on the left.

Go straight across to continue along a gravel track (which is a residential access drive). Follow this for almost one mile and then, nearing a road, fork left past a barrier, continuing beside a road to Armstrong Lane on the left.

Cross the road to cycle post 234 and follow a gravel path across Culverley Green, passing a school at the end. Go over a zebra crossing and turn left and then right along Avenue Road back to the start.

Just up from the train station is the Snakecatcher Pub. Harry ‘Brusher’ Mills (1840–1905) was something of a legendary character in the area. He lived an austere life in a hut in the woods and was famed for catching snakes. It is estimated he caught around 30,000 in his lifetime. The nickname Brusher came about from his brushing or sweeping of the cricket pitch before a game. The Snakecatcher is named after him. He is buried in the graveyard at nearby St Nicholas’s Church where his headstone can be found.

St Nicholas Church is worth straying from the route to visit. This is the oldest church in the New Forest, with a great yew tree that is over 1,000 years old. Here, you’ll also find the graves of New Zealand soldiers killed in World War I. In 1914, the War Office designated Brockenhurst a key hospital centre, with 3,500 troops from India and 21,000 from New Zealand treated here. A memorial stained-glass window in the church, a gift from the people of New Zealand, was unveiled in 2016.

Walk at a glance

Start: Brockenhurst Railway Station, SO42 7TW or Brookley Road car park, SO42 7RD

Distance: 4.3 miles

Time: 1 hr 45 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

URL:  explore.osmaps.com/route/20358665

Map: OS Explorer OL22 New Forest

Toilets: Brockenhurst station and Brookley Road car park.

Nearest Pub (and café): Snakecatcher Pub, Lyndhurst Rd, Brockenhurst SO42 7RL

OS Maps App rating: 5 stars

Three tips to navigate with OS Maps App

1. The red triangle on the OS Maps App is your friend. Hold your phone out in front of you like a torch, and if you turn 180 degrees, so will the triangle. That points you in the direction you need to go.

2. Don’t slavishly follow the red line on the route. Remember, in OS Maps App, this line is only a navigational guide. Pay close attention to the pathways (denoted by black dotted lines on the map). In practice these are the markings you’ll need to make your way around on the ground.

3. Keep an eye on the app whenever approaching forks in the route. Use common sense - if a suggested path looks untrodden or in bad condition, then stay on the main one.

Download OS Maps App from the Ordnance Survey shop. Full annual subscription is available for £34.99.

This walk forms part of Ordnance Survey’s ‘Short Walks Made Easy – New Forest’ (£8.99) which offer 10 leisurely walks between one and five miles across the New Forest National Park. Each walk has simple to follow step-by-step instructions; essential logistical information including accessibility, parking and dog suitability; fascinating local information and nature guides; and stunning photography.