Nature Reserves & Centres

Our nature reserves provide havens for wildlife and places where you can experience Dorset's wonderful natural world. Except for Brownsea Island, our nature reserves are open throughout the year and are free of charge.

Click on the links below to find out more...

> You can also walk the Ant Hill Trail in west Dorset

Nature Reserves & Visitor Centres A-Z Ashley Wood Reserve Beacon Hill Urban Wildlife Centre Bracketts Coppice Reserve Broad Oak Orchard Brooklands Farm Nature Reserve & Conservation Centre Brownsea Island Nature Reserve Bugden's Meadows Nature Reserve Chesil Beach Centre (Fine Foundation) Collyer's Brook Reserve Corfe Barrows Nature Park Corfe Mullen Meadow Reserve East Stoke Fen Reserve Fontmell Down Reserve Girdlers Coppice Reserve Greenhill Down Reserve Haydon Hill Reserve Hendover Coppice Reserve Hibbitt Woods Reserve Higher Hyde Heath Reserve Holway Woods Reserve Kilwood Reserve King Barrow Quarries Reserve Kingcombe Meadows Reserve The Kingcombe Centre King's Lane Orchard Nature Reserve Lytchett Bay Reserve Lorton Meadows Nature Reserve Lorton Meadows Conservation Centre Loscombe Reserve Marine Centre (Fine Foundation) Michael's Peace Reserve Mill Ham Island Reserve Nunnery Mead Reserve Peascombe Reserve Powerstock Common Reserves Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve Sopley Common Reserve South Poorton Reserve Sovell Down Reserve Stonehill Down Reserve Sutton Holms Reserve Tadnoll & Winfrith Reserves Tout Quarries Nature Reserve Townsend Reserve Troublefield Nature Reserve Upton Heath Reserve West Bexington Reserve

Travelling to our reserves

Wherever possible, please travel using public transport, bicycle or car share.

SatNav user? Point of Interest (POI) files available

If you would like to download the POI files for most of the UK Wildlife Trust nature reserves, click here

Why have nature reserves?

• Many of Dorset's wild places have been lost or damaged due to human activity.
• Without protection the remaining wildlife havens may also be lost forever, so one of Dorset Wildlife Trust's most important roles is to manage nature reserves for the good of wildlife.
• These sites also serve as habitat strongholds from which wildlife can spread if the surrounding land becomes favourably managed.

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