LYMINGTON JUNCTION TO RINGWOOD
 

Lymington Junction to Ringwood, Hampshire. For some years, the eastern part of 'Castleman's Corkscrew' – the sinuous line that snaked its way from Southampton to Dorchester via Ringwood and Wimborne – has been something of a forgotten backwater; but now things are changing. Two long-demolished bridges between Lymington Junction and Long Slade Bottom (near Holmsley) have been replaced, while the official 'Castleman Trailway' has been extended east from Ringwood to the last of three level crossings at Crow (grid reference SU 168037). As a result, the current situation on the Corkscrew is as follows:

  • Hamworthy Junction to Upton: not part of the official 'Castleman Trailway' but used by locals and accessible from a public footpath at grid reference SY 988924.
  • Upton-Broadstone-Merley: all converted and now part of the official Trailway.
  • Merley-Wimborne-West Moors: much of the trackbed has been re-used, especially in and around Wimborne, so the Trailway follows a diversion, partly on the bank of the River Stour.
  • West Moors-Ringwood-Crow: all converted and now part of the official Trailway.
  • Crow-Burbush Hill (south of Burley): currently inaccessible due to Bagnum Bog being a conservation area.
  • Burbush Hill-Holmsley-Cater's Cottage (near Lymington Junction): passable throughout, although care must be taken on the one mile section east of Holmsley station, which has been converted into a road.
  • Cater's Cottage-Lymington Junction: not used (½ mile only) although a forest trail runs parallel on the south side giving access to the B3055 and Brockenhurst.

Hampshire County Council is keen to 'bridge the gap' between Crow and Burbush Hill, but it is unlikely that it will be able to use the trackbed here, partly due to its special designation, and partly due to it being badly flooded. Anyone wishing to follow the whole 30 miles between Hamworthy and Lymington Junctions can use public footpaths and forest trails to get from Crow to Burbush Hill (via Sandford), and this may be the route that Hampshire ends up waymarking. Time will tell.

Report by Tim Grose and Jeff Vinter