Arne is quiet. In fact Arne is very quiet. You’ll find it two miles east of Wareham jutting out into Poole harbour. From the southside of the Frome as you come out of Wareham walk along the river bank for five minutes until you reach Ridge. Cut through by the side of the campsite to Nutcrack Lane and then turn left and walk as far as the car park. You are now in Arne. There is little left of the village since it was evacuated during WW2 when the area was used for a decoy operation to protect the Royal Navy Cordite Factory to the North at Holton Heath. There are no shops here. No pubs. No restaurants. Just a church, a few houses, a farm, the Toy Museum and very little else. Arne is indeed very quiet. You’ll soon find St Nicholas’ Church. It’s open every day with services on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays in the month. The church dates back to the 13th Century when it was built on the orders of Ethelgeva the daughter of King Alfred. It boasts but one bell in the western roofspace and at the other end is the altar with a fine view over Poole harbour. Down from the church and heading past Arne farm there is little else you can hear other than the birds. This is RSPB land and the whole area draws people from all over the country to seek out the rare birds the area is famous for. Two hundred different species have been recorded half of which breed in the area. There are buzzards, sparrowhawks, stonechats, nightjars, redpolls and shelduck among the rarer varieties. Last but not least is the Dartford warbler which can be seen very, very occasionally and only if you know where to look. A couple hundred yards beyond the farm the nature trail begins. To the left you can head down towards the marshes and use the hide to view the seabirds in the harbour. To the right you are going down to the beach at Shipstall Point which looks over to Long Island and Brownsea Island the latter being where Baden Powell held his first scout camp. When you have had your fill of the peace and quiet if you still have time to roam there is a wide expanse of heathland you can cross in the direction of Norden and Corfe. There’s still more to see.