Corfe Castle is a brooding presence to the south, set against the background of the Purbeck Hills.
Slepe Heath, to the north, came into our care in November 2014 – the National Trust’s largest lowland heath acquisition for a decade at the time - and it will take time to recover fully from its previous use as a forestry plantation.
Its strategic location forms a bridge linking Hartland Moor and Middlebere Heath to the south with neighbouring land managed by other conservation bodies.
Wessex landscape
The result is a single protected landscape where wildlife can thrive and visitors can glimpse Thomas Hardy’s fictional Egdon Heath, setting for The Return of the Native.
Meanwhile, Hartland and Middlebere make up a prime example of lowland heath where a unique Y-shaped drainage system allows both acid and alkaline-loving plants to thrive.
Hides overlook the heathland and Middlebere Lake, part of Poole Harbour. Bird-watching highlights include migrating ospreys in spring and autumn, hen harriers, hobbies, woodlark, stonechats and meadow pipits, with large flocks of avocets and Brent geese resident throughout the winter.