Starting in the New Forest, this tour combines forest life at its best with the stunning Dorset coast. With several days of optional cycling, the itinerary is very relaxed and provides plenty of opportunity for other activities such as walking, fishing, boating and more.
The tour leads through a variety of forests and woods, where you can enjoy some unusually close encounters with animals. Peaceful and traffic free tracks lead to characterful villages and historic small towns that are a delight to explore. The Dorset coastal areas you will visit offer wonderful variety from the charming fishing village and beach at Mudeford to the busy quays where you board two ferries. Enjoy sand spits and beach huts, two piers and beachside and cliff top cycling in Bournemouth. The unspoilt glorious sandy beaches of Studland are part of the route too along with the utterly delightful quay on the river estuary at Wareham and a glimpse of rural Dorset at its best. Add a tank museum or steam trains, a spot of boating or horse riding or simply some time on the beach and it’s quite an escapade!
Holiday details
Price
- Classic
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from £1,465 per person
Child prices available on request. - Luxury
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from £3,125 per person
Child prices available on request.
Based on two people sharing a room
What’s included?
There are no extras, however you’ll love what’s included as standard
Duration
7 nights
Start & Finish
Classic holiday starts Fridays and is circular from Burley. Luxury holiday starts Thursdays and is circular from Brockenhurst. Burley is a short taxi ride from Brockenhurst station which is 1.5 hours from London by train. It is also close to Bournemouth airport
Hotels
- Classic
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A forest inn, a b&b and a small hotel
- Luxury
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A luxury spa hotel, a waterside boutique hotel, a riverside old priory and a country house hotel
Holiday type
Self-guided
This tour is priced without a guide and you are free to explore on your own. If you would like a guide for part or all of your trip, we are happy to provide a knowledgeable, local guide
Activity level
Gentle cycling (1) More info...
Electric bikes
Available
Mileage
3 days of cycling 15 - 24 miles (24 - 38 km) per day and 2 days of optional cycling
Terrain
Flattish
Traffic-free
70%
Options
- Extend your holiday to include the Isle of Wight
- Enjoy a day's fossil hunting with a local expert
- Let us book you a boating, fishing or horse riding experience
- Take an extra day for our walk along the stunning Jurassic coast
- Add on a ride or transfer to include Stonehenge
- Enjoy the assurance of our local guide cycling with you and sharing their knowledge on your first day
Itinerary day-by-day
Classic
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1. Day one
Burley
Arrive in Burley on Friday and check into your hotel in this typical forest village for your first 2 nights. At a time to suit you make your way to our base a few minutes walk away, which is open from 09.00 to 17.30, to pick up your cycling equipment. Your host will also meet you to run through your itinerary and to familiarize you with the route.
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2. Day two
Circular ride from Burley
We have designed this route to give you a really good ride through the New Forest and through the varied landscapes of the area. Much is off road on gravel tracks and a disused railway giving you a great opportunity to see deer, donkeys, pigs and horses as they roam freely in their natural setting. Wonder at ancient and majestic trees and absorb the peace and tranquility as you ride deep into the forest. Civilisation catches up with you as you arrive in the forest village of Brockenhurst before pedalling along embankments and steaming through bridge holes back to Burley.
Optional 21 miles (34 km)
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3. Day three
Burley to Boscombe
This delightful gentle ride includes tracks with views, forest scenes and pretty woodland lanes as you wend your way south to the coast. Most of the route is off road on bike paths and forest tracks giving you a peaceful ride. Hop on the ferry at the delightful fishing village of Mudeford, and head along the sand bank past colourful beach huts to Boscombe on the cliff top, where you will spend the next 2 nights.
20 miles (32 km)
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4. Day four
Boscombe
Today you can enjoy the seaside scene and take time out of the saddle. Enjoy miles of sandy beach and coastal walks on the breath taking cliff top, or hop back on the ferry at Hengistbury to Mudeford if you fancy fishing, boating and water skiing. The quay there is a busy spot with plenty going on.
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5. Day five
Boscombe to Wareham
Today offers a chance to experience some wonderful seaside cycling, as well as a quick ferry ride and untouched National Trust beaches, heath and woodland. Pedal a short distance through the valley gardens, through the heart of Bournemouth, before hopping on a ferry to the Isle of Purbeck. Blessed with fantastic unspoilt beaches, this tucked away corner of Dorset is loved for its dramatic slopes and beautiful coastline. The route takes a delightful path around the hills on an off-road, into the heart of a charming woodland and eventually ends up in the centre of Wareham where you will spend the next two nights.
19 miles (30 km)
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6. Day six
Circular ride from Wareham
Wareham, a delightful and small market town, lies on the River Frome and has a remarkable number of listed buildings - over 200 in total. If you fancy a cycle-free day, you can hire a boat from the quay and potter down the river to Poole harbour and back. Horse riding is another option; or if you like steam trains, you can take rides to Corfe Castle and Swanage. Or perhaps you simply want to plop on the beach, in which case you can cycle down to the beautiful beaches at Studland. For those with a taste for adventure, there is a wonderfully rural ride that lets you discover deepest Dorset. The route takes you along two charming river valleys. Encounter hamlets, forests and fords en route, and pay a visit to a Tank Museum and Lawrence of Arabia’s retreat if you fancy it.
Optional 26 miles (42 km)
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7. Day seven
Wareham to Burley
Start the day with a very short train hop before pedalling traffic free along a disused railway line for much of the ride. Cross rivers and heaths, sprint through forests, and enjoy the villages enroute of this woodland area. You will ride through the market town of Wimborne which boasts a fine house in Kingston Lacy, many pubs and an unspoilt collection of centuries old shops, houses and a minster. Return to Burley for the last night of the tour along an upland track with a final view of this outstanding landscape.
26 miles (42 km)
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8. Day eight
Depart Burley
Return your bikes to our base and depart at your leisure.
Luxury
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1. Day one
Brockenhurst
Arrive in Brockenhurst on Thursday and check into your hotel, The Pig, in this typical forest village. We will deliver your cycling equipment to the hotel and your host will also meet you to run through your itinerary and to familiarize you with the route.
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2. Day two
Brockenhurst to Mudeford
Leave Brockenhurst by pedalling along embankments and steaming through bridge holes. The route then takes you on. tracks with views, forest scenes and pretty woodland lanes as you wend your way south to the coast. Most of the ride is off road on bike paths and forest tracks giving you a peaceful cycle. Mudeford, where you will spend the next 2 nights is a delightful fishing village. Your hotel nestles at the waters edge.
15 miles (24 km)
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3. Day three
Mudeford
Today you can enjoy the seaside scene and take time out of the saddle. Mudeford has a sandy beach and is the ideal place for coastal walks, fishing, boating and water skiing. The quay is a busy spot where you can take the ferry across to Hengistbury sand bank and beach huts.
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4. Day four
Mudeford to Wareham
It’s fantastic seaside riding today which includes two ferry hops, two piers, cliff top and beachside cycling and unspoilt National Trust beaches, woodland and heath. There is a short ride through the valley gardens which run through the heart of Bournemouth before you take the chain ferry to the Isle of Purbeck . Blessed with glorious unspoilt beaches, this tucked away corner of Dorset – not an island proper, is famous for its stunning coastline and steep ridge of hills. Your ride wonderfully skirts the hills on an off road route through pretty woodland and leads you to the heart of Wareham where you will spend the next two nights. Your hotel for the next 2 nights, a lovely old priory, sits at the riverside.
24 miles (38 km)
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5. Day five
Circular ride from Wareham
Wareham is a small and charming market town that sits on the River Frome with over 200 listed buildings. For those wanting a day without pedalling, there are boats to hire from the quay for an easy spin down river to Poole harbour and back. Horse riding is available and there are steam train rides to Corfe Castle and Swanage. Those craving more beach time can pedal to the idyllic Studland beaches. To explore deepest Dorset, there is a wonderfully rural ride which follows two pretty river valleys dotted with fords, hamlets and forests and includes a Tank Museum and Lawrence of Arabia’s Dorset retreat.
Optional 24 miles (38 km)
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6. Day six
Wareham to Burley
Start the day with a very short train hop before pedalling traffic free along a disused railway line for much of the ride. Cross rivers and heaths, sprint through forests, and enjoy the villages enroute of this woodland area. You will ride through the market town of Wimborne which boasts a fine house in Kingston Lacy, many pubs and an unspoilt collection of centuries old shops, houses and a minster. There is a short uphill to Burley along an upland track to reach your hotel, set deep in the forest.
24 miles (38 km)
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7. Day seven
Burley to Brockenhurst
We have designed this route to give you a really good ride through the New Forest and through the varied landscapes of the area. Much is off road on gravel tracks and a disused railway giving you a great opportunity to see deer, donkeys, pigs and horses as they roam freely in their natural setting. Wonder at ancient and majestic trees and absorb the peace and tranquility as you ride deep into the forest. Civilisation finally creeps back into existence as you arrive back in the forest village of Brockenhurst.
18 miles (29 km)
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8. Day eight
Depart Burley
Depart at your leisure.