Brownsea Island

Red squirrels have survived on Brownsea Island largely because grey squirrels never made it across the water to compete with them; sika deer and peacocks wander the paths too, through woodland and heath. The island, the largest of several in Poole Harbour, has been in National Trust hands since 1962, and a short passenger ferry from Poole Quay or Sandbanks lands below Brownsea Castle, a private house on the eastern point that’s leased out and closed to visitors. On the north shore, avocets and other wading birds gather over winter on a lagoon run by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. In August 1907, Robert Baden-Powell brought about twenty boys here for an experimental camp that grew into the Scout movement, with a marker near the site today. Paths loop round to views of the Purbeck hills and Old Harry Rocks across the bay. The mainland reserve at Arne and the beaches at Studland are both close by.

Visit on the National Trust website →