The Dorset Heaths form an important area of heathland within the Poole Basin in southern England. Much of the area is protected.

Extent

According to Natural England, who have designated the Dorset Heaths as National Character Area 135, the heathlands cover an area of 61,662 hectares, whose boundary runs from Bockhampton and Warmwell in the west via Wimborne Minster to Fordingbridge in the far northeast. It then turns southwards to Hengistbury Head, before following the coastline to

Studland Studland is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England. The village is located about north of the town of Swanage, over a steep chalk ridge, and south of the South East Dorset conurbation at Sandbanks, from which it is ...

and Brownsea Island then finally heading westwards - north of South Purbeck (with the Purbeck Hills) and the

Weymouth Lowlands The Weymouth Lowlands form a natural region on the south coast of England in the county of Dorset. Much of the area lies with the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. According to Natural England, who have designated the Weymouth Lowlands ...

- to the Warmwell area.''NCA 135: Dorset Heaths Key Facts & Data''
at www.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 3 Apr 2013.

Character

The character of the Dorset Heaths contrasts strongly with its neighbouring natural regions. Undulating lowland heath with heather, pines and

gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are n ...

alternates with exposed, open, large-scale farmland, woodland and

scrub Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," ...

. Blocks of conifers form locally prominent landmarks. Apart from the major

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

- Christchurch conurbation on the coast, much of the area is sparsely populated with scattered settlements and a few small villages and towns. Valleys are flat-bottomed and open with floodplain pastures. There is an outer perimeter of low, rolling hills marking the transition to chalk downland.''Dorset Heaths''
at www.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 4 Sep 2013

Geography

Topography

The land within the Dorset Heaths rises to a maximum of at

Creech Barrow Hill Creech Barrow Hill is a steep, conical hill, Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 ''Landranger'' series, no. 195. (one source 637 feet) high, near the coast of Dorset, England, and the highest point of the Dorset Heaths. It has been described as "one of D ...

,Note that Natural England's NCA profile gives the highest point as 174 m, but clearly implies Creech Barrow Hill is part of the NCA. English Nature give the height as 195 m. but the average height is just .

Rivers

Major rivers include the Frome, Stour, Moors, Piddle, Sherford,

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

, Corfe and Dorset Avon.

Main settlements

The largest settlement within the Dorset Heaths is the extensive South East Dorset conurbation, this includes the large towns of

and Christchurch. Other significant Satellite towns are Wareham, Fordingbridge and Wimborne Minster. The total population for the NCA was 446,296 as of 2001 with an increase to 466,626 following the 2011 censu

Protected areas

The Dorset Heaths are home to a large number of

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s including: *

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Special Protection Areas: Dorset Heathlands SPA, Poole Harbour SPA, Avon valley SPA * Special areas of conservation: Dorset Heaths SAC, Dorset Heaths (Purbeck & Wareham) & Studland Dunes SAC, Isle of Portland to

Cliffs SAC; River Avon SAC. * National nature reserves: Studland and Godlingston Heath NNR, Holt Heath NNR; Hartland Moor NNR; Stoborough Heath NNR;

Holton Heath Holton Heath is an area of the parish of Wareham St. Martin, Dorset, England. The area includes a trading estate, on the site of the former Royal Navy Cordite Factory, Holton Heath, (RNCF). East of the trading estate is the Holton Heath Nation ...

NNR; Morden Bog NNR; Arne Reedbeds NNR.

References

{{coord missing, Dorset Natural regions of Dorset Natural regions of England Ramsar sites in England