Beaulieu Heath is in two parts, divided by the Beaulieu river's more lush valley. The western part is east of the village of East Boldre, and the eastern part south of Dibden Purlieu. On this occasion we went round the eastern part by bike. It's very flat and makes for quick travelling. The New Forest national park authorities have brought in stricter "controls" on where one is allowed to cycle (basically, nowhere) but provided you are not in a party of 50 hacking cross-country and through skylark nests I think you'll find the locals friendly and welcoming! The whole area is empty (except the famous ponies) and peaceful though you may get an unpleasant whiff of the nearby oil refinery.
Hampshire Treasures is worth reading before a visit, the main parishes of interest being Denny Lodge in the east, East Boldre in the west (Pudding Barrow is just inside Lyndhurst parish). However, many large barrows are called "bell" in the Hants Treasures entries, which I would disagree with if you think a berm is needed to be a bell barrow... semantics, semantics. Also, a lot of their OS grid references are a little squiffy. Trust the maps instead.
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Posted by UncleRob
14th April 2009ce
Edited 14th April 2009ce
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