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For many people their first thoughts of the Isle of Purbeck will be of Studland. The ferry which links it across
the bay to Poole is one of the most popular ways of entering the area. And as you step off the ferry you step straight
onto the beach which is why so many feel the five minute sea journey is so worth while.
 Studland
is certainly for many first and foremost synomomous with sea and sand. We are in National Trust territory most
of the way now after the Bankes estate passed into the hands of the NT in the 1980s. This has served as an insurance
policy for the area against the encroachment of ‘progress’ whilst preserving an area of outstanding natural beauty.
To turn the other way from the beach will take you onto Studland Heath and a landscape which is perhaps the
most typical of the area. This is also the home of two of Britains rarest reptiles: the harmless smooth snake and,
its sometime prey, the sand lizard. It is the sun and the sand which attracts these two as well as the tourists.
The reptiles - unlike the tourists - are cold-blooded and need to warm up quickly  before they can move
about. Sandy soil heaths such as can be found at Studland heat up very fast when the sun shines, making them the
ideal habitat for reptiles. The smooth snake and sand lizard are both heathland specialists, and the common lizard
and the poisonous adder also thrive in this environment. The sand lizard is very spotted and the male is green
during the warmer weather whilst the female is more brown. The smooth snake is also spotted and sometimes the spots
join together to form lines. Its markings are quite different from the well-known ziz-zag patterning of the adder.
In addition its head is smaller and it is a slimmer snake.
 Heathland birds include the Dartford warbler, nightjar, red-backed shrike, and stone curlew all of which
can also be found in Arne slightly to the North. The Dartford warbler was in danger of extinction until recently.
It is very suceptible to cold winters and in 1963 only ten pairs were recorded in the whole of England. In more
recent times over 80 pairs have reared young on the Studland reserve which is a recovery of some note.
Nearby is Little Sea a freshwater lagoon (see table). Over a period of some three and a half centuries sand
bars built up in this area of the bay eventually cutting the lagoon off from the sea. Streams which flow from Godlingston
Heath to the North West keep the water fresh.
If you look back out into the bay you will see Brownsea Island and Long Island which was once the base of Harry
Paye a pirate who operated from the Poole area. He is imortalised in a story by Rosemary Manning about treasure
which is hidden on Studland Heath. Brownsea Island is of course a story in its own right and is managed by Purbeck
District Council. It is perhaps best known as the site of Baden Powell’s first ever scout camp in1907.
The Agglestone which lies on Godlingston Heath is a well known landmark in the area and it overlooks Poole Harbour
and Brownsea Island.
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