Corfe Mullen Meadows

A traditional hay meadow with an abundance of wildflower species.

Location

Wimborne

Dorset

BH21 3SN

OS Map Reference

SY9792196740

Know before you go

Size

5 hectares

Entry fee

N/A

Parking information

Parking in layby close to entrance

Bicycle parking

Grazing animals

Cattle or ponies from mid or late summer through the winter.

Walking trails

Circular path around larger hay meadow.

Please click here for more information and guidance about dogs on DWT nature reserves.

Access

Main entrance has RADAR key wheelchair/ buggy accessible gate. Bench by entrance.

Enter the main meadow through the gate to follow a mown grassy path around the edge of the field. Currently no access to the smaller field but we are hoping to add a gate in the near future. Grazing animals will be on site from mid to late summer until the following February.

For more information on visiting DWT Nature Reserves, including more on general countryside hazards such as grazing animals, please see our Visitor Information page.

Dogs

On a lead

Dogs must be on leads while orchids are in flower (May/ June or as directed by on site signage) and with grazing animals. Please remove all dog mess from site. See above for more information about dogs on nature reserves.

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

May (orchids) & mid summer

About the reserve

Corfe Mullen Meadows is a beautiful reserve featuring two important wildflower meadows supporting a large population of green-winged orchids.

This reserve, near the village of Corfe Mullen between the A35 and A31, is an important habitat for pollinators, with bees, moths and bugs all thriving in this tranquil environment. The reserve is managed as a traditional hay meadow, with grazing following the cutting of the hay in mid to late summer.

Visitors love to come and see the good population of green winged orchids. These near threatened species flower in May and June and are a lovely pink-purple colour. It is the green-veined hoods of the flowers that give them their name. They are pollinated by bumblebees.

May is a great time to visit Corfe Mullen Meadows as the orchids form a beautifully lush pink carpet across the fields.

In summer the flowers and grasses grow taller and taller, coming alive with butterflies, bees, day flying moths and grasshoppers.

Thick, bushy hedgerows with plenty of large, old oak trees shelter the field and provide additional habitat for birds, mammals and invertebrates of shrubby places.

Useful Information

From the A350 Poole to Blandford Road take the Old Wareham Road at the traffic lights to head east towards Corfe Mullen. Follow the road for just under a mile then turn left onto Waterloo Road by the Naked Cross Nursery. The reserve is about a mile along this road, on the right opposite a row of houses.