đź“Ť New Forest Heritage Centre
đź—ş Route on Komoot
đź’š 45km (28 miles)
Join The New Forest Off Road Club for a very special guided cycle ride through the New Forest, inspired by the remarkable women who helped shape Britain’s wartime landscape.
In partnership with author and historian Joanna Foat, this unique ride will explore the stories of the Lumberjills — the women of the Women’s Timber Corps who worked in forests across the country during the Second World War, including right here in the New Forest.
Starting at the New Forest Heritage Centre and the current Lumberjills Story Exhibition, we’ll head out into the Forest to visit wartime sawmill sites and forest enclosures where Lumberjills once lived and worked. Along the way, Jo will share stories from her research, helping bring this hidden history to life in the landscape itself.
The bicycle was one of the Lumberjills’ main forms of transport, making this a fitting and memorable way to experience their story.
We encourage riders to come dressed in Lumberjill / 1930 - 40 inspired outfits if they’d like to fully embrace the spirit of the day.
The route we will be riding can be found via this link.
Jo is being paid for her time so whilst our rides are usually free, we would appreciate a donation of between ÂŁ10 - ÂŁ15. Thank you!
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This is a social group ride. You must be responsible for yourself and your decisions. Please bring everything you need to self navigate and fix your bike should something go wrong.
If you are new to riding off road and would like the support of a qualified bike guide, please consider joining us for one of our guided experiences. You can read all about those here.