The Dorset Holiday Specialists

This walk runs from Middlebere Heath to Studland, via Corfe Castle and Ballard Down, crossing varied landscapes of heath, ancient woodland and open chalk ridgeways with magnificent coastal views over Poole Harbour.

The walk begins at Middlebere Heath, part of the Arne RSPB Reserve and one of the most important heathland habitats in the UK. This area is rich in wildlife, especially bird species like spoonbills, curlew, and marsh harriers. You will then cross over Hartland Moor on ancient trackways passing Bronze Age barrows. This is a designated National Nature Reserve, home to all six native British reptiles.

Next you arrive in Corfe Castle village, passing below the striking ruins of Corfe Castle, a 1,000-year-old Norman fortress dramatically set on a natural gap in the Purbeck Ridge. Managed by the National Trust, the site is rich in history, from Saxon royalty to Civil War destruction. The picturesque village is worth exploring and there are pubs and tea shops here.

From Corfe, you climb onto the Purbeck Ridgeway, a high chalk ridge which provides some of the best views in Dorset, north to Poole Harbour, west across Purbeck and south to the sea. Ballard Down is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), supporting rare downland flora and butterflies, including the Adonis Blue. As you drop down to Studland and the end of your walk, you pass Old Harry Rocks, the chalk stacks standing at the of the ridge.

Finally you arrive at Studland, a small village managed in part by the National Trust. Just beyond lies Studland Bay, a wide sweep of sandy beach backed by dunes and heathland. The National Trust have a cafe on the beach here or The Bankes Arms has a beer garden looking out over the sea.