IT'S officially autumn and woods across Hampshire are coming alive with a kaleidoscope of colours.
The New Forest always enjoys a particularly stunning show of reds, yellows, bronze and burnt orange leaves at this time of year.
With a third of the land in Hampshire sitting within either a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, there is plenty of perfect spots to explore.
Here's our pick of five of the best autumnal walks to enjoy.
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Tall Trees Walk, New Forest
Created by the Forestry Commission, Tall Tree Walk showcases some of the tallest trees in the New Forest National Park and takes in stunning Rhinefield Ornamental Drive.
Majestic conifers planted in the 1850s are among the nationally important collection of trees from all over the world that line the walk.
Begin the 1.5 mile route at Blackwater Car Park.
Mottisfont, near Romsey
Start this six-mile walk at Spearywell car park, a few minutes’ drive from the National Trust gardens.
It takes in part of the Test Way and showcases some of the best of Hampshire countryside. You’ll cross historic farmland where hedges replanted for wildlife are full of birds in autumn, and wetland meadows where river bands have been restored for water voles.
Paths wind through old woodlands too - of chestnut, oak and beech in full autumn colour, and areas of hazel coppice that are actively managed to create habitats for animals including dormice.
West Walk, Wickham
Known locally as Hundred Acre Woods, at 350 hectares West Walk is the largest remaining fragment of the ancient Forest of Bere.
With plenty of oak and beech trees, the woodland here puts on a fantastic display of autumn colour - perfect for an afternoon spent in the great outdoors.
Watching the mighty trees as they turn to a warm, rusty red is an absolute delight.
Explore one of the walking trails or let any younger visitors blow off some steam in the forest play area, set amongst tall pine trees.
Lepe Loop, Lepe Country Park
Follow a beautiful coastal and countryside route with picturesque views of The Solent. Enjoy some time by the sea, blowing away the cobwebs.
Follow the beach until you reach parkland and can enjoy a peaceful piece of countryside.
The walk is approximately five miles long.
Hinton Ampner, near Alresford
The four-mile waymarked Dutton Estate Walk starts just beyond the National Trust gardens and takes you across farmland and country lanes into towering beech woods. Here you can stroll along wide rides under a ‘roof’ of copper and yellow foliage.
There are fine views too over this 1,600 acre estate, and if you take a detour into the parkland on the way back you can walk beneath the buttery canopies of ancient chestnuts and oaks (some over 500 years old), interspersed by the rich red and purple of Norway maple trees.
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