This is a fantastic route of 13 miles that will take you along the edge of the New Forest and then out towards the coast and the historic Keyhaven harbour. Perfect for a quick lunchtime loop or stretching the legs before breakfast.
Map key:
- The unique and mysterious Sway Tower – 200ft of concrete
- The Wheel Inn at the cross roads
- Roundabout that can take you to and from Lymington. There is also a Shell Garage just off here for supplies
- Here the road turns to a gravel path. Unless you’re on really skinny tyres ( <23mm) then you should be ok.
Route overview
As with any of our routes, you can start where you like, but for our descriptions here, we always start and finish in Hordle, heading in a clockwise direction.
Heading towards Lymington on Silver Street, take the second left onto Barrows Lane. The road will head down and round a right hand bend over a small bridge. A short climb up will take you right past the unusual Sway Tower (Built in 1859, Sway Tower is the tallest un-reinforced concrete structure in the World). Then, you’ll take a right along Flexford Lane, a lovely single lane road that’s recently been resurfaced, a nice downhill to the junction at the end, where you’ll turn left. Follow the road until you see Kings Lane on your right, head up here, one of the few short climbs on the route. At the top you bear left and keep on the road almost to the end, until you see Chapel Lane on your right (if you miss this, just turn right at the T junction – this will take you onto the same road). Take a right at the end of Chapel Lane onto Pitmore Lane and keep on this all the way to the cross roads opposite the Wheel Inn.
Go straight over the cross roads onto Ramley Road. Continue along here (past the little yellow aeroplane on your right) and you will come into Pennington. Just after the Zebra crossing there is a road on your left, North Street. Turn left into North street and continue to the roundabout junction at the end. You will need to go straight across the roundabout (well slightly further than straight across) and then take a right onto Lower Pennington Lane. Now you are very close to the coast and you stay on this road until it finishes at a gate, with a gravel track on the other side. Continue onto this gravel track all the way to Keyhaven. If you like making Sloe Gin, this is a good place to find Sloe berries (but don’t tell anyone).
The gravel track will finish at a gate where the road will start again. You are now at Keyhaven and this can be a lovely place to stop. Follow the road along the quay wall to the junction at the end and turn right. If you like Whiskey, then the Gun Inn on your left is a great place to visit. It seems quite bike friendly too. This road will take you into Milford-on-Sea, but you need to take the next right, onto Lymore Lane. This road is a favourite as there are great views over the fields to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight – especially if you are doing this route the other way! Carry on to the end of Lymore Lane until you join the main road that leads to the junction for the A337.
Head left onto the A337 and then next right into Everton Road. Right up to the end of the Everton road will take you back to the start.
Allez!