Ringwood Tourist Information Hampshire

Ringwood Tourist Information

Ringwood is on the Hampshire/Dorset border on the River Avon. It's just west of the New Forest but within easy reach. Ringwood is an historic town having been mentioned in the Domesday Book and been granted a market charter since 1226. It was traditionally an agricultural centre and market town with a regular cattle market.

However, it is now more of a main shopping centre for this part of West Hampshire. The Furlong Shopping Centre has a good choice of high street and designer names and the streets in Ringwood's centre has a good choice of independent shops. It carries on the traditional of having a weekly street market which is held every Wednesday.

The town has several historic buildings mostly dating from the seventeenth to nineteenth century around the Market Place and dotted around the town centre. Monmouth House on West Street where the Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II, was held after his rebellion and pleaded for mercy from the then King James II. Stones from the earlier church were used to build the Church of St Peter & St Paul built in 1853.

Ringwood Visitor Information Centre, The Furlong, Ringwood BH24 1AZ. Tel: 01425 470896. Fax 01425 461172. Email: information@nfdc.gov.uk

Ringwood Brewery Tours

Ringwood has its own brewery that has been producing real ales since 1978. It is based on the site of a former brewery which closed in 1821. Over the years it has produced a huge range of real ales to suit all tastes. Recently the brewery has invested in a vineyard and have started producing wines.

You can visit the brewery and check out the range of beers and ales in the shop or book onto a Brewery Tour.

The Brewery Tour takes you around the whole brewing process. Pubic tours run between May-September on Wednesdays and last around two hours. It is necessary to book in advance.

Ringwood Brewery, 138 Christchurch Road, Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 3AP. Tel: 01425 471177. Email: store@ringwoodbrewery.co.uk

Ringwood Forest

Over the River Avon to the north west of Ringwood is the huge Ringwood Forest. This is largely a conifer plantation that was planted over native heathland. Glades within the woodland still contain some heathland habitat.

Ringwood Forest is popular for walking, cycling and horseriding. You'll find a host of waymarked trails throughout the woodland. For horse riders you'll need to obtain a Forestry Commission Riding Permit. Contact Tel: 023 8028 6838. Email: enquiries.new.forest@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.

Within Ringwood Forest is Moors Valley Country Park. This is the easiest access point to the forest and includes a large car park just off Horton Road.

It makes a good family day out, not only for its range of recreation routes including 20 miles of waymarked walking and cycling routes, but there's also an adventure Play Trail which includes a giant ant's nest and spider's web, narrow gauge steam railway, golf course, shop and cafe. There's also a Go Ape tree top ropes course. You can also hire bikes from the shop if you haven t brought your own. Check the link right for more information.

Avon Valley Path

The Avon Valley Path actually starts at Salisbury in Wiltshire and travels 34 miles south through Hampshire and then on to Christchurch in Dorset. The path passes through Ringwood.

The route is sub-divided into five sections which taken individually make a good day out walking. The Avon is a chalk river with abundant wildlife along its banks including water and hay meadows, ditches and streams which are excellent for birdwatching.

You can download The Avon River Path from the link right.

Blashford Lakes Wildlife Reserve Hampshire

Just north of Ringwood are Blashford Lakes nature reserve. These were originally dug as gravel pits but when they fell into disuse a whole range of wildlife have make them their home. They're excellent for birdwatching and you may even see other wildlife too.

In the winter a huge number of wildfowl flock to the site including gadwall, wigeon, pintail, teal, goosander, herons, little egrets, kingfishers and even bittern have been spotted here. In the breeding season redshank, lapwing, oystercather, common terns and little ringed plover can be seen with sand martins using an artificial bank below the goosander hide.

There is a mix of grassland and woodland on the site too where a different range of wildlife can be seen including woodpeckers, brambling, redpoll, grass snakes, row and fallow deer and a huge number of damselflies and dragonflies.

Click on the link right for more information on how to get to the reserve and its opening times.