Frankenbury Hill Fort

Key:

• Trail Starting Point
• Trail
• Point of Interest
• Public House
• 1 Trail Steps

Frankenbury Hill Fort

This walk takes you along quiet field and woodland paths to the site of an Iron Age hill fort. It then continues to a stream-side hamlet on the edge of Castle Hill. There are views across the beautiful Avon Valley with its wildlife-rich water meadows and pasture before returning along field and woodland paths to Godshill. Frankenbury is the site of an Iron Age hill fort that strategically overlooks the Avon Valley. The steep natural slopes on your left form the western and southern side defences of the fort. The north east sides were defended by a simple bank and ditch. The fort encloses eleven acres and various artefacts have been found including Iron Age and Roman pottery and coins.

Accessibility: Mostly easy walking with gentle gradients. Gates, two stiles and a footbridge. Woodland tracks can be muddy.

Directions

1. Kissing gate

   Starting at the Godshill cricket club, head left alongside the road down to the Fighting Cocks pub. At the junction turn right and head downhill past the village hall. Turn left at the waymarker and through a kissing gate into a field, following the hedge on your left. Keep following the hedge until you reach a stile. Go over the stile and continue on between two hedgerows

2. Left to Sandy Balls

   Go on for 200m or so and look out for a stile on your left, it can get a bit overgrown sometimes(!) Go over the stile across some large fields heading towards Sandy Balls Holiday Park. Keep left following the hedgerows in the field until you reach another stile. Hop over the stile and head right, away from the holiday park, pass utility works on your left. Follow the path through an old beech wood and along the edge of Frankenbury Fort

3. Metal gate

   Follow the path as it bends left downhill and turn right off the path through a waymarked metal gate into a wood. In spring see if you can spot primroses, bluebells, wood anemone and creeping buttercups. Go through another gate. Please keep dogs under close control to reduce disturbance to wildlife and livestock grazing on the pastures

4. Folds Farm

   As you emerge from the woodland turn left onto a gravel track towards Folds Farm. At the track junction turn right to join the Avon Valley Path for a short section. Continue straight ahead through the farm and over a stream. At the waymarker, cross over a cattle grid and follow the gravel track straight ahead to join the road

5. Bridge across a stream

   Turn right and follow the road for 80m and take your first right down a gravel track alongside houses. Continue following this lower track, which becomes an enclosed grassy track past a cottage. Ahead is a wooden bridge with a stile across a stream flowing alongside a meadow

6. Track junction

   Follow the path alongside the stream and over a stile into the next field. Go straight on across two more fields with gates. At the third waymarked gate turn right onto a gravel track and through a wide gate uphill to the track junction. At the waymarker go straight ahead uphill through a wood. Turn right at the field gate and retrace your steps alongside the hedge to the first waymarker. Turn right through the gate to re-join the road and back uphill to the Fighting Cocks pub.

Trail Overview

Start/finish

Bus stop outside Fighting Cocks, pub, Godshill. SP6 2LL.

Grid reference

SU 176 149

what3words

what3words.com/bookshelf.marching.alpha

Ordnance Survey map

Explorer OL 22 New Forest.

Distance

2.6 miles (4.2 km),

Local facilities

Fighting Cocks pub. Parking is available for pub users. There is a Forestry England car park at Godshill cricket pitch about 400m east along Roger Penny Way.