Walks you can reach from Sway by train
Hampshire · South East England
MapA day hike is just a simple train journey away — plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Sway.
Lymington to Brockenhurst (Hampshire)
5 minutes direct from Sway.
Recommended
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: the Fleur de Lys (45m in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Snakecatcher Pub, or the Huntsman
Warnings: Can be EXTREME mud in Lymington Reeds Beds Nature Reserve.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Reverse direction: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Brockenhurst Circular via Lyndhurst (Hampshire)
5 minutes direct from Sway.
Forest inclosures and heath between the villages of Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst, with Lymington River bathing spots and spring bluebells. Strenuous.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: New Forest Walks (tips, photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Ashurst New Forest Circular via Lyndhurst (Hampshire)
15 minutes direct from Sway.
Heath and forest inclosures skirting a golf course, between the villages of Lyndhurst and Ashurst. Strenuous.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Tracks can be muddy after wet weather; watch for stray golf balls.
Walk details: New Forest Walks (tips, photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Ashurst New Forest to Brockenhurst (Hampshire)
15 minutes direct from Sway.
Ancient woodland, open heath and inclosures, crossing the Beaulieu River past Matley and Denny Woods. Strenuous.
Matley Wood: A small but beautiful tract of ancient and ornamental New Forest woodland reached across open heath.
Denny Wood: An ancient and ornamental woodland of beech and oak flanked by ferns and surrounded by heath and wetland habitats.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Some roadside walking with limited footpath; take care.
Walk details: New Forest Walks (tips, photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
New Milton to Brockenhurst (Hampshire)
4 minutes direct from Sway.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Follows a busy road for a fifth of the walk.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Brockenhurst to Totton (Hampshire)
5 minutes direct from Sway.
Uses Forestry England approved routes.
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Christchurch to Bournemouth (Hampshire)
15 minutes direct from Sway.
Coastal path, with a long section from the station to reach the coast.
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: Railwalks.
Bournemouth to Poole (Hampshire)
30 minutes direct from Sway.
Romsey to Eastleigh (Hampshire)
45 minutes direct from Sway.
Baddesley Common was gorgeous; the next stretch, through Knight Wood, was wonderful. A varied route mixing tarmac with footpaths, woods and countryside, including Tadburn meadows nature reserve, Baddesley Common and Knight Wood. A few stiles and gates; the common can be wet and muddy after rain and the final suburban miles run near the M3.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: A quarter urban. Flexford Road is a nasty stretch with almost no refuge from frequent traffic and no footpath; an alternative via Fleming Park avoids it. The bridge over Monk's Brook near Chandler's Ford may be broken and closed, requiring a short diversion. Stiles and gates on North Baddesley Common.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
New Milton to Lymington (Hampshire)
4 minutes direct from Sway.
The beautiful Barton Common (with grazing New Forest ponies); the coast along from Barton is quite rugged and wild. A varied route taking in coast, New Forest countryside, common land with grazing ponies, the town of Lymington and with a ploughed-field crossing that gets very muddy in winter and an exposed clifftop path. The approach into Lymington is along a busy main road on a pavement. Lymington has a regular shuttle train back into the New Forest.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Lunch: Food, drink and supplies available at the New Milton start.
Warnings: The clifftop path along from Barton is very exposed and on permissive land with active cliff erosion. Crossing the ploughed field between Lymington Road and Lymington Lane is very muddy in winter. The A337 (Milford Road) approach to Lymington is a busy main road, hard to cross, with a pavement on only one side.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Reverse direction: Railwalks.
Eastleigh to Winchester (Hampshire)
45 minutes direct from Sway.
Waterway: four fifths along the Itchen Navigation.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Winchester City Mill (National Trust)
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Romsey to Totton (Hampshire)
15 minutes direct from Sway.
Beautiful low-lying test valley walk. A low-lying Test valley walk on field paths, quiet lanes and a riverside boardwalk and with woodland and pasture. Largely flat but uneven and prone to mud and seasonal flooding; numerous kissing gates. Follows the Test Way, passing the edge of the Broadlands estate. Best walked mid-spring to mid-autumn; winter flooding can make it impassable.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: The Test Way south of Romsey floods deeply in winter and can be impassable; the riverside boardwalk near Totton has a section of deep mud/bog and has been subject to closure. A short stretch on Station Road at Nursling has no footpath, and the approach into Romsey has no safe crossing of a busy road. Numerous kissing gates and stiles.
Walk details: Slow Ways.