Castleman Trailway – Hawthorne Road loop from Christchurch

Bike touring routes & trails

Castleman Trailway – Hawthorne Road loop from Christchurch

Moderate

5.0

(1)

riders

Castleman Trailway – Hawthorne Road loop from Christchurch

02:11

36.7km

60m

Cycling

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 27, 2026

Tips

Cycling is not permitted along parts of this route

After 2.59 km for 182 m

After 2.98 km for 90 m

After 19.0 km for 89 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

2.68 km

Christchurch Castle and Norman House

Highlight • Historical Site

Christchurch Castle is the ruins of a castle in English Christchurch. It consists of the wall remains of the Keep, which stands in the middle of a rectangular trench system, and the remains of the so-called Constable's House. The buildings were once part of a large Norman fortress.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

3.03 km

Christchurch Priory

Highlight • Religious Site

At 311 feet (91 m) long, Christchurch Priory is an unusually long parish church and is longer than plenty of cathedrals. It’s mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 but sits on the site of an even earlier church.

Legend has it that the priory was supposed to be built on nearby St. Catherine’s Hill but during the night, the building materials were spirited to its current location. It sounds more like the builders couldn’t be bothered to haul everything up a hill for the duration of construction. It also has a miraculous beam said to have been hoisted by Jesus Christ himself.

Sitting at the end of Christchurch high street just before the harbour, the priory is open every day except for Christmas and is fairly magnificent both inside and out.

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3.34 km

Constable's House (Norman House)

Highlight • Historical Site

The Norman House is a rare example of Norman domestic architecture in England. Whereas most ordinary domestic buildings of this date were built of timber, the house was built of stone, reflecting the high status of its builder. The tall, circular Norman chimney is a particularly unusual survival.
The ground floor was probably used for storage. An external staircase led to the main rooms on the first floor, where a small lobby divided the two principal rooms, the hall and solar chamber. The hall was open to the roof with widely splayed windows to let in as much light as possible. The elaborately decorated window at the north end of the hall marks the dais end, where the high table stood. The private solar chamber had an adjoining latrine emptying into the mill stream.
The east wall of the house, nearest the river, is thicker as it served as the defensive curtain wall of the castle. All the doors and windows on this exposed side had drawbars in case of attack.

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5.52 km

Brick Arch Bridge on National Cycle Route 2

Highlight • Cycleway

Route: 2 Part of which runs south of the New Forest..

Tip by

8.23 km

Tin Yard Lane

Highlight • Trail

Very narrow lane with a high verge

Tip by

15.0 km

Sandford Copse

Forest

19.1 km

The Raymond Brown Nature Reserve

Nature Reserve

19.6 km