Wild Camping the New Forest (Frogham – Phoxx 1V2 Camp) 

March 2026

This trip took me into a new area of the New Forest, north of the A31 near Frogham, with an ambitious plan of bagging three to four trig points and finding a quiet place to camp for the night.

Most of my usual New Forest camps and walks have been south of the A31, so it was great to be exploring a new area. I hadn’t been out for a while either, and my fitness wasn’t quite where it should have been. It was midweek, the weather was good and I was hoping the forest would be quiet.

Entering the Heathland Near Frogham

I started my journey from Abbots Well Road, where the forest opens up to a view into wide heathland, with a large area of gorse bushes, a few patches of woodland in the distance and the tree lined banks of Latchmore Brook at the bottom of a gentle incline.

I headed towards the brook and reached the tree-lined banks of Latchmore Brook, with its clear running water and shaded grass areas.

I crossed the brook and followed my planned route towards the first trig point, passing lots of New Forest ponies grazing on the fresh spring grass.

The brook and nearby woodland both had beautiful flat grassy areas that would have made excellent camp spots. Unfortunately, they were on the main walking routes and close to built-up areas.

Walking Towards TP4094 – Ibsley Common

From there, I followed wide sandy and stony tracks across the heath towards TP4094 – Ibsley Common. On the way, I passed deer sunbathing in the spring sun and the remains of the old Ibsley HF-DF Station, known as “Huff-Duff”, which was used to help track incoming aircraft. I stopped briefly to explore the remains and take a few shots, before setting off again in the direction of the Ibsley Common trig point.

Not far away was the white trig point I had been looking for. Once bagged, I moved to the cover of a few nearby trees for some shelter and a snack.

Like the other tree areas I had just passed, it had some lovely shaded flat grass that would have been ideal to sleep on, but unfortunately, it too was too close to some villages and a main route for walkers and cyclists.

As I was eating my snacks, it was fantastic to watch a group of horse riders galloping across the heath and through this patch of forest and using it as an equestrian jumping area. It was only when I was leaving, that I noticed the handmade jumps of logs and branches.

Changing the Original Plan

This was the point where I changed my ambitious and original plan. I had hoped to reach another few trig points before heading back in the direction I came from to find a place to camp. It became clear that I wasn’t going to reach the remaining trig points, and have enough time and energy to find a place to camp. It was just too far, and the distances between the trigs was further than I had expected.

Instead, I turned back and headed towards the trig point TP0741 – Blissford, which was closer to where I had parked and entered the forest. It would give me the chance to look for suitable places to camp.

Looking for a Camp Spot in the New Forest

One thing the New Forest has is a variety of landscapes. When you think of the word forest, you naturally think of trees, but the New Forest is much more than that. There are flat open heathlands, large and small patches of woodland, low-lying boggy ground, streams, sheltered hollows and long stretches of flat grass.

I made my way to a patch of woodland I had passed earlier in the afternoon. It was full of mature tress and peaceful inside, it would have made a lovely sheltered camp, but like many other places in the areas, the phone signal was almost non-existent. I like being able to read using my phone during the evening, so a good internet signal is important.

It’s one of several things I consider when choosing a spot, alongside shelter, visibility and foot traffic, which I wrote more about in How I Find Wild Camping Spots in England.

On leaving the small woodland, I headed across gentle hills of heathland, bogs and more secluded and sheltered grass areas, before reaching TP0741 – Blissford, which was along a narrow ridge lined with gorse bushes on one of the taller hills.

There were many good places either side, but again they were close to main paths and lacked a good internet signal. With the light beginning to fade and the sun setting, I decided to drop down from the ridge and head to a more sheltered area.

That’s when I finally found the spot for the night.

For this trip I used the OEX Phoxx 1 V2 again, which I’ve written about in a separate long-term review after using it across different conditions around the UK.

Camping Among the Gorse

This spot was perfect. Hidden by the gorse, with small grass patches and a patchy phone signal and away from any main paths.

The New Forest ponies seemed to think it was a good sleeping spot too. I could hear them moving around nearby during the night, grumbling, snorting and shifting through the bushes. Some were resting on the other side of the gorse where I was setup.

The ground close-by was boggy and there were patches of standing water. So while setting up, I encountered the first biting beasties of the year, resulting in my first bites of 2026.

I walked around for roughly five hours and reached two trig points. Ironically, I’d been looking for a spot with a good internet signal, but when my head hit the pillow, I was out for the count and didn’t need it.

Sunset, Frost and a Quiet Morning

The sunset that evening was stunner, with a deep orange horizon, silhouetting the surrounding landscape and distant trees.

By morning, the temperature had dropped overnight, leaving a hard frost across the grass.

After making a coffee, I slowly packed everything away and walked the 2.2 miles (3.5 km) back towards the car, passing the ponies grazing quietly on the fresh green grass in the early morning.

Final Thoughts on Wild Camping in the New Forest

This turned out to be one of those perfect slower and quieter trips that reminded me why I enjoy wild camping in the New Forest so much.

The area around Frogham, Blissford and Ibsley Common offers a lovely mix of heathland, woodland and peaceful scenery. There are many spots to enjoy and to explore, and if you’re prepared to wander a little further, you can find less busy areas away from the dog walkers and horse riders.

It also reinforced something I often find while camping, that the obvious spots are rarely the best ones.

Sometimes the better camps are the quieter, less noticeable places a little further away.

You can also view the shorter photo-based camp entry from this trip on the OurScapes News Feed.

A Gentle Encouragement

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch through social media or the contact page.

Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Dan