October is a good time to get out into the New Forest. After a warm summer, the trees are showing brighter oranges, reds and golds than usual, and according to Visit Hampshire's autumn walks guide, the colours are at their best through October and into early November. Whether you want an easy stroll or a longer day out, there are plenty of woodland spots to choose from.
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If you're after something simple, the Knightwood Oak Trail is a good place to start. The loop is half a mile long and takes about half an hour, on a flat, fairly smooth gravel path with benches along the way. It's suitable for pushchairs, manual wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The walk centres on the Knightwood Oak, which is said to be more than 500 years old and is protected by a traditional cleft oak fence. The car park is dog-friendly.
For a bit more distance, the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary has three trails starting from the Bolderwood car park, the longest being the Radnor Trail. It's about two miles on gravelled paths with a few gentle slopes, and takes roughly an hour. The route begins at an observation platform overlooking a glade, where fallow deer can sometimes be spotted, and crosses Bratley Water, where children can paddle when the stream isn't dried up by hot weather. Oak and beech give the woods their colour here, and the holly berries are bright red at this time of year. Dogs are welcome but need to be kept on a lead through the deer conservation areas.
Further afield, Rhinefield Ornamental Drive is lined with conifers, oak and beech, and near the Blackwater Arboretum you'll find giant redwoods, which are the tallest trees in the National Park, reaching up to around 50 metres. The arboretum has wooden benches and trees from all over the world. In the south of the forest, a four-mile circular walk from Fritham takes in Fritham Plain, where ponies and cattle graze, along with Sloden Enclosure and Eyeworth Pond, an old gunpowder pond surrounded by ancient woodland. If you'd rather go with someone who knows the route, the New Forest Ramblers run a guided walk from the village car park that takes in the autumn landscape and some Second World War history. It leaves at 10:00, so it's worth arriving around a quarter to ten, and you should allow six hours.
Roydon Woods, managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, is a quieter option. Its grassy meadows and mix of conifer and hazel copses are home to woodpeckers, nuthatches and badgers, and the fungi are plentiful in autumn. The reserve is open at all times, dogs need to be kept on a lead, and the Trust asks for donations rather than charging entry. Autumn is also when the stags roar here.
That roaring is part of the deer rut, which runs from late September through October. Red and fallow stags call to mark their territory and lock antlers, and it's one of the most memorable things to watch in the forest. If you want to see them, dawn or the hour before sunset are the best times. Keep at least 50 metres away from the males, as they can be aggressive, keep dogs on a short lead, avoid using flash, and stick to the marked paths.
For photography, beech trees give the most striking display. Mark Ash Wood, Wooson's Hill Inclosure, Church Moor, Knightwood Inclosure and Bolderwood Grounds are all good places to head for beech colour. If you prefer fewer people around, Puttles Bridge and Aldridge Hill Inclosure are quieter. Go out early in the morning or in the last hour of light, when the low sun brings out the colour. A wide-angle lens works well for woodland paths, a telephoto lens helps when photographing deer from a distance, and a tripod is useful in the low light of dawn and dusk.
Published Date
11 October 2026
