Castleman Trailway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Castleman Trailway
Waymark on the Castleman Trailway
Length	16 miles (26 km)
Location	Southern England
Designation	UK National Trail
Trailheads	Ringwood, Hampshire Poole, Dorset.
Use	Hiking

Map showing major roads and the route taken by the trailway

The Castleman Trailway is a footpath in Southern England. Portions of the trailway are also a cyclepath but the middle section from West Moors to Wimborne is not cyclable.

One trailhead is on Bickerley Road in Ringwood and the other trailhead is the car park at Upton Country Park. The entire path is waymarked.

The path passes through the villages of Ashley Heath, West Moors, Oakley, Broadstone and Upton, as well as Upton Heath and Upton Country Park.

The trailway is part of the former Southampton and Dorchester Railway line which ran from Brockenhurst to Hamworthy Junction via Ringwood. This circuitous route was promoted in the 19th century by the Wimborne solicitor Charles Castleman, and was chosen because of the need to run through populated areas at a time when Bournemouth was a small village.