Ringwood

Ringwood sits where the New Forest gives way to the Avon Valley, a market town that has been trading on the same spot since it was granted a charter in 1226. The River Avon loops around its western edge, crossed by an old three-arched stone bridge, while the streets behind still follow their medieval pattern even though most of the buildings are Georgian brick and timber-framed cottages rather than anything older. It is a working town rather than a museum piece, with a genuine Wednesday street market that has run for centuries and a rhythm of life built around real shops, pubs and a weekly farmers' market rather than tourist trade alone.

What makes Ringwood particularly useful as a base is its position. Step out of the town centre and you are within minutes of open forest heath, yet you are also close to the Dorset coast, the Avon Valley and the edge of Bournemouth and Poole. The New Forest National Park boundary runs close to the town, so ponies, deer and wide gorse commons are a short walk or drive away, while the Avon Valley Path threads north and south along the river for anyone who wants a longer, flatter walk. It suits people who want forest and heathland on the doorstep without giving up a proper high street.

Top things to do in Ringwood

Ringwood is compact enough to explore on foot, with most of its attractions either in the town itself or a short drive into the surrounding forest and valley.

• The Furlong and Market Place — the town's old cattle market site is now an open-air shopping centre, and Market Place still hosts a street market that has run since medieval times, alongside a monthly farmers' market in Gateway Square.
• Ringwood Brewery heritage — founded in 1978 by Peter Austin, regarded as the father of British micro-brewing, Ringwood Brewery put the town on the beer map with Old Thumper, crowned Champion Beer of Britain in 1988; the brewery closed in 2024, but its legacy runs deep through the town's pubs.
• Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre — a falconry and reptile centre on Crow Lane on the edge of town, with daily flying displays, an indoor reptile house and a café, popular with families.
• Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve — a Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust reserve of former gravel pits just north of the town, with hides looking out over lakes that draw wintering wildfowl and ospreys on passage.
• Moors Valley Country Park and Forest — around 1,000 acres of forest and parkland just south of Ringwood, with a treetop walkway, a Go Ape high-ropes course, a narrow-gauge steam railway, cycle trails and a golf course.
• Avon Valley Path — a 34-mile waymarked route linking Salisbury to Christchurch, passing directly through Ringwood along the River Avon, ideal for a riverside stretch of the legs.
• St Peter and St Paul's Church — the parish church at the heart of the old town, with a tower that has watched over Ringwood's market square for centuries.

Getting to Ringwood

Ringwood sits just off the A31, close to its junction with the A338, which makes it an easy stop for anyone driving between the M27 near Southampton and the Dorset coast around Bournemouth and Ferndown. The A31 runs straight through the New Forest to the east, while the A338 heads south towards Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth. There has been no railway station in the town itself since 1964, when the old Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth line closed to passengers, so the nearest mainline stations are Brockenhurst and New Milton, both roughly ten miles away, with Christchurch and Bournemouth also within easy reach; from any of these, a taxi or the local bus network completes the trip into town.

Best time to visit Ringwood

Late spring through early autumn is the easiest time to enjoy Ringwood, when the surrounding forest and heathland are at their best for walking and cycling and Moors Valley's outdoor attractions are in full swing. High summer brings the busiest stretch, with the Wednesday market and Furlong shops at their liveliest and warm evenings for sitting outside the town's pubs. Autumn is a quieter, atmospheric time to walk the Avon Valley Path or visit Blashford Lakes, where migrating birds pass through the reserve. Winter is calmer still, good for wrapped-up forest walks and log-fire pubs, though some outdoor attractions reduce their hours.

Where to stay in Ringwood

Ringwood works well as a base whether you want to be in the thick of the market town or tucked away on its forest fringe. There are traditional coaching inns and B&Bs within walking distance of the Market Place, giving easy access to the shops, market and pubs without needing a car for the evening. Just outside the town, guesthouses and small hotels back onto open forest and farmland, better suited to those planning long walks or cycle rides straight from the door. For a longer stay, self-catering cottages around the town and along the Avon Valley offer more space and the flexibility to explore both the forest and the coast at Bournemouth and Christchurch, which are both within half an hour's drive.

Food and drink in Ringwood

Ringwood's food and drink scene still carries the imprint of its brewing history, and the town's pubs remain a strong reason to visit even after Ringwood Brewery's own production moved elsewhere in 2024. The Original White Hart on West Street and the Fish Inn are among the long-standing pubs in the old town serving proper ales and pub food, while The Furlong and the surrounding streets hold a mix of independent cafés and restaurants alongside familiar names like Waitrose for provisions. The Wednesday street market and monthly farmers' market in Gateway Square are good spots for local produce, cheeses and baked goods, and the surrounding New Forest villages add further options for a short drive out to a country pub lunch.