Wander through the Woodland Walk to discover how the local timber at Buckler's Hard was used in the 18th and 19th centuries to construct ships for the British Navy.
This tranquil walk besides the river shows you many of the tree species that were used in the construction of Nelson's warships. Buckler's Hard became a shipyard because of its protected location, tidal access to the sea and the ready supply of timber from the Beaulieu Estate and the surrounding New Forest. It took up to 2,000 loads or 40 acres of 100 year old trees to make one 64 gun ship such as the Agamemnon. See a 200 year old Oak Tree that would have been a sapling at the time of shipbuilding in the 18th century, a large hazel tree that was coppiced in the past but has now been left to grow, an Alder tree that seeps blood orange sap when cut and a yew tree that lives for thousands of years rather than mere centuries.