Here’s our round-up of the 5 best cream teas in the New Forest. The Old Station Tea Rooms, Holmsley There are many appealing areas of heathland and pine woodland in the south west corner of the New Forest. The growing popularity of the cars in the 1950’s meant a serious assessment was made of the network, culminating in the now infamous Beeching Report in 1963. Start point = Burbush Car Park, Pound Lane, Burley BH24 4EFDistance = 4.6miles (return)Duration = ~90+ minutes (@3mph)Elevation = 122-177ft (var 55ft)Footwear = wellies!Dog mud factor = muddy paws at best, full on dirt fest possible!Weather = suitable for all weather conditionsViews = the walk is mostly in the valley Shappen Hill & Holmsley Ridge so views are of the walk & hills either sideParking = free but there are no facilities at Burbush. You can also park at the Holmsley end, but there are only a few roadside space on the slip road between A35 & Station Road. Parking in the tea rooms is only for visitors to the tea rooms whilst they are there.Facilities = there are several pubs & tea rooms in Burley (e.g. Cider Pantry tea room on Pound Lane) & the tea room at Holmsley. They all have hot/cold food, drinks & loos. I think we had two weeks' notice and that was by a piece of A4 paper through the door, where as in the past Hampshire County Council communicated with us directly.

History – The Old Station Tea Rooms Holmsley

The walk is mostly gravel but subject to quite a bit of waterlogging, so wellington boots or waterproof footwear are advisable.

The station’s finest hour and lasting memories will undoubtedly be during WWII, when it played an instrumental part of the troop and freight deployment to the aerodrome at Holmsley South. In May 1944, with preparations for the D-day landings, Eisenhower and senior government officials were frequently seen. Facing three months of minimal trade, Mr Jensen scrapped plans for a refurbishment of the tea rooms.

Tea Rooms at Holmsley - Tripadvisor The Old Station House Tea Rooms at Holmsley - Tripadvisor

In 1899 Robert Louis Stephenson, who was a local resident, cast Holmsley Station as ‘Browndean’ the fictional station in his novel ‘The Wrong Box’. I am absolutely committed to having the business open every day. I have always said you can't take any money if you are not open.

Rhinefield House, near Brockenhurst

For me and the business here, when we get to Mother's Day it means we have survived another year because the winter is quiet. To allow the work to take place, the A35 has been closed in both directions, as has the C10, which runs underneath the main road, for months. This has left the Old Station Tea Rooms only accessible from Burley, with complicated diversions in place. The walk is mostly graveled but subject to quite a bit of waterlogging especially at the Burbush car park end, so wellies are a must except in the driest possible conditions. There are water courses too all along the route so dogs that stray from the path will get dirty!

Burley and Burbush Hill Circular - AllTrails

We get calls from people regularly saying they have made a booking but they can't work out the diversions so they are going to have to cancel," said Mr Jensen. The Old Station Tea Rooms at Holmsley has suffered significantly since the work started on replacing the nearby road bridge. June 1st 1847 saw the opening of the station at Holmsley. It was located where the line met the A35, the main route from Christchurch to Southampton, and referred to (until 1894) as Christchurch Road.In the late 1800’s the eldest son of Queen Victoria, Prince Edward, frequently disembarked at Holmsley with his then mistress, Lillie Langtry, enroute to their exclusive residence in Bournemouth. The new line was heavily promoted by Charles Castleman, a prominent local solicitor who saw the benefit and potential of the expanding rail network. Its winding route, taking in local market towns, earned it the name “The Corkscrew”, something is is still known as today. The line gained popularity in the early 1900’s with commuters and families alike, and was also an important freight depot for the transport of local wood for construction of Welsh coal mines.