BH Living walks

The Purbeck Breezer walk - Studland

An easy beach trail along the sandy dunes of Studland, starting with an enjoyable ride on a Purbeck Breezer then across the Sandbanks chain ferry for a great day out with the family.

Now that we are allowed to explore the outdoors again, it is the perfect time to begin getting some fitness and healthy activity into our lives. Summer is here and there isn’t a moment to lose, we have some walks planned to get you and the family out and about. Beginning with our Purbeck Breezer walk around Studland Beach!

For those seeking the full experience of this walk we start with an unexpected beginning, a nice ride from Sandbanks to Studland on an open top Purbeck Breezer before beginning the 1-mile walk around Studland’s sandy dunes and heathlands. The Purbeck Breezer 50 travels from Bournemouth to Sandbanks and then Studland, getting you all the way to the start of the walk and giving you a lovely experience of the clifftops for £7 per adult return ticket and £5 per child return ticket. If you would rather not ride the Breezer then you can use the same route on foot or with your own vehicle going from Sandbanks over the chain ferry to Studland Bay for £1 per pedestrian/cyclist ticket and £4.75 per car ticket. The ferry ride is a great start to the experience with the cool blue waters and fresh sea air to give the feel of summer and the outdoors we have missed.

Your walk starts here Once you arrive at Knoll Beach take a moment to stretch your legs and prepare yourselves before setting out. Make sure you have everything you need for the summer’s day; you can even drop by the Knoll Beach Café to grab some food and drinks before you set out or after you return.

The start of the official 1-mile walk begins at the northeast side of the car park, following a sandy path northward past the barbecue area until you reach a crossroads where you’ll continue making your way straight ahead and keeping the yellow markers on your left side.

1You’ll eventually reach a T-junction near the woodland where you will take a right turn and continue around 30 metres where you should look for a sculpture of a seahorse on your right. The sculpture represents the breeding site for both seahorses in the waters of Studland Bay. After reaching the seahorse, keep following the path at the woodland’s edge and you should begin to see dunes rising on you right side. Continue upwards and the path will fork, take the right-hand fork going up a slight rise in the dunes and remember to keep the yellow and purple marker post on your left and ignore the other marker off to the left as that is for the return walk.

2Reaching the top of the rise there will be a large sandy hollow to your right with a nice view of Old Harry Rocks behind it. This hollow is a result of wind erosion and is known as a blow-out. The path will curve gently to the right out towards the sea and once you arrive at the T-junction you will need to turn left before a line of dunes topped with marram grass which lines the beach.

3Go north along the path with the heather to your left and look down to your right to see a wooden sculpture of a sand lizard before you reach the next yellow marker. Once you reach a clump of birch trees take a left off the main path and proceed to follow the boardwalk back to the dunes.

4From the highest point of the ridge, feel free to take a moment to enjoy the lovely sea views from the wooden viewing platform and relax on the benches provided. Continue round for views of Old Harry Rocks, Studland village, and the Purbeck Hills, you may even see the Agglestone on Godlingston Heath to the south west.

5Take the steps down the opposite side of the dune and take a sharp left at the bottom, with the summer here you may spot some dragonflies and damselflies along the path and even a small sculpture of a deer made using found natural materials off to your right among the trees. You’ll have to ignore two left turns ahead and follow a sharp right path up the steps to the top of the dune at the end of the trees; here you should see a second viewing platform.

6The platform gives you a perfect spot to look back towards the sea for a clear view of the Studland peninsula; successive lines of dunes run parallel to the beach, each marking a former coastline. Turn left and follow the boardwalk along the ridge, be sure to look for any reptiles on the boardwalk also enjoying the summer weather. 7Once you reach the end of the ridge, follow the boardwalk downhill and take a sharp right towards a T-junction with another yellow marker then take a left and follow the sandy path to re-join the path you took before, eventually passing the seahorse sculpture on your left. Continue along and turn left at the yellow marker to follow the path back to the start.

8From here you have completed the walking section and can relax on the chain ferry and return to Sandbanks and Bournemouth on the Purbeck Breezer to enjoy the scenery and make your way home. The official trip ends when you disembark the Purbeck Breezer and head home or stay a while longer and enjoy more of Studland’s lovely bay and natural environments. Be sure to keep plenty of fluids on hand for the walk and maybe bring some lunch to keep you going, you could even have a picnic!