Sandy. Undulating. Historic. Spectacular views. Fun.
Summary: a 5 min ferry crossing flicks the switch from suburban to urban, infrastructure to natural surroundings. The heather walk makes for a pleasant change from trudging the beachfront, especially when the tide is in. With a gradual climb to the Agglestone, it's a flowing sandy track back to the ferry. If time is short, go straight to the ferry at 7.1 miles instead of crossing back into the Heather walk section. A fun session in the dark with many eyes of the wildlife getting lit and peering back.
Terrain underfoot: Sand, gravel, heathland
Roads: 400m connecting section through Studland village
Road Crossings: Manor road @ 3 miles, Studland village store across main road @3.3 miles. Ferry road @ 7.1 miles.
Elevation: Undulating steady climb to viewpoint from 2.5-4.5 miles
Sights of interest: Heather walk inland dune trail, WW2 D-Day landing viewing bunkers (2.8 miles), Studland village church and grounds (3.1 miles) 11th century, Agglestone Rock (4.9 miles).
Wildlife: Deer, sand lizards and silver studded blue butterflies 🦋 to name a few
Difficulty navigation: 2/5
Difficulty underfoot: 2/5
Difficulty terrain: 2/5
After several days of rain, some of the tracks on the flat heath get saturated so do not expect to keep the hooves dry. Regular trail shoes suffice and road shoes are ok after dry spells of weather.
Refreshments: National Trust cafe and Studland village shop.
Parking: side roads of Sandbanks (charges applicable), bike racks for locking beside chain ferry.
Ferry costs: £1 to "paytheferryman"
Madmule rating: Casual Trot n Canter
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