Studland Beach Second World War walk
Explore the hidden features of Studland’s Second World War past that remind us of the importance of Studland as a training ground for troops in the months leading up to D-Day.
Map
Start:
Middle Beach car park, Studland, grid ref: SZ036829
1
From Middle Beach car park, descend the path by the lookout hut and go left to a bridge over a small stream. Here you can view a line of Dragon's Teeth (SZ036830).
Dragon's teeth
These large concrete blocks, together with mines and ditches, were designed to prevent enemy tanks advancing inland in an invasion.
2
Go between the beach huts onto the beach, turn right and head south along the seashore.
3
Go past the beach café and turn right up the main track before turning left onto the waymarked coast path. Just a few hundred metres along this route is Fort Henry (SZ037828).
Fort Henry
Constructed in 1943 by Canadian engineers and named after their home base in Ontario, Fort Henry is a concrete observation bunker with walls a metre thick. In 1944 it was used by Churchill, Eisenhower and King George VI to watch rehearsals for D-Day.
4
Continue along the coast path then head inland on a signposted route to the Bankes Arms. Please note there is currently no access to South Beach at this point due to a landslip. During the Second World War, the Bankes Arms was the control base for a major experiment to test the effectiveness of burning oil as a defence against a German seaborne invasion. This was known as Project Fougasse and involved piping oil to the sea and firing it by explosive charges.
5
Pass the Bankes Arms on the right and continue down the hill. Turn left onto a footpath signposted to South Beach. On reaching the beach turn left and look for a pill box at the north end of the beach (SZ038828).
Pill Box
In the early days of the Second World War, when a German invasion seemed inevitable, pill boxes formed a line of defence along coastlines vulnerable to attack. At Studland, each was manned by one soldier with a Lewis machine gun.
6
Retrace your steps to the Bankes Arms. Follow the road to the right, passing the Manor House Hotel, and return to the start point.
End:
Middle Beach car park, Studland, grid ref: SZ036829