The New Forest Half Marathon (2016)

17:56:00 The Lanky Runner 0 Comments

Start Point: The Showground, New Park, Brockenhurst
Distance: 21.1 km (13.1 mi)

Difficulty Level: Moderate

My Time: 01:54:18 (Pace: 05:25/km or 08:43/mi)

Set in the stunning New Forest, a natural beauty on the border of Hampshire and Dorset, the New Forest Marathon is an event which gained a refresh for 2016. I took part, and as I was so impressed with the route I thought I'd blog it so anyone can have a go whenever they feel the need for a cross-country half marathon!


The route starts in New Park, just north of Brockenhurst, heading directly into one of the most picture-perfect regions of the impressive New Forest National Park. It meanders through popular cycle and walking paths, along the awe-inspiring Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, and finishes back in New Park. There are a numerous elements to the route, so bare with me here, there's a lot to describe!

Leaving the popular show site (location for The New Forest Show and the New Forest Christmas Market, among many other events) you head in towards the forest, taking a right as soon as you get to the end of the first T-intersection - about 1km into the run. From here you follow the path around an anti-clockwise loop keeping left at the first intersection, and taking a right at the next and a right again at the 3km mark. The next stretch is a long, open path, so stick to the main path (if it looks small and windy, you're on the wrong path) through an open area leading up to the crossroads intersection. At the crossroads,  take a hard left towards the Flechs Water ford - there's a sign here noting that the ford can be impassable after heavy rainfall, so take note - where you can decide to either wet your feet in the river or pass over on the bridge.

Keep on the path until you reach Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, taking a right and heading towards Rhinefield House Hotel. Pass the hotel on your left, and keep on the road until you reach the Blackwater Woods carpark on your right, where you take the first path on the right and head back into the forest, back towards the crossroads you earlier swung left at. Again, you'll hang left at the crossroads, this time leading back through another fairly open area, and back out onto Rhinefield Ornamental Drive again, just before the 10km mark, and head back along the road towards Blackwater Woods carpark. Along this stretch of Ornamental Drive you pass under the tallest trees in Hampshire, and possibly in the UK. Some of these giant Redwoods are even taller than Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben)!

When you reach the carpark again, look for a path to the Blackwater Arboretum, to the right, opposite the carpark, which runs in a long straight line directly into the forest. At the crossroads at the end of this long straight (about 600m worth) hang a hard left and head up the gentle hill into an area that looks quite a lot more forest-like than the well-groomed cycle paths and roads you've just been pacing along for the last hour. Continue following this path for about 1.6km (1mi), hanging left at the intersection, and back towards Rhinefield House Hotel.

Arriving on Rhinefield Ornamental Drive again, turn right and continue on past the hotel, this time passing the hotel on your right as you sweep around the corner. Follow the road as the forest opens up into a sparse heathland, passing several carparks on the right and left as you go. This is often the area for spotting the wild locals grazing in the sunlight, trying to avoid the tourists!

Just as the road appears to start entering the forest again, you'll see a carpark/road on the left, where you'll head down the hill and follow the road all the way until it ends and becomes another well-groomed cycle path. Follow this all the way through the forest again, arriving in the back of New Park, for a quick lap of the fields to complete a scenic, flat, and rewarding half marathon!

I'd love to hear from anyone who took part in the event or who has completed this route for fun, so drop a comment below if you have!

End Point: Where you started!

Terrain: a combination of cycle paths and quiet rural roads

The Highs: feeling tiny amongst the giants of the forest, pacing along the roads surrounded by New Forest ponies

The Lows: running out of energy after 90 minutes

Hints: try the route on a bicycle first to get your bearings, unless you know the area well, and don't try this at night...

Conclusion: A mostly-flat route set in some of the most picturesque areas of the New Forest, taking in big open cycle paths, the tallest trees in the UK, open country roads, and wildlife.