Our verdict
A genuinely excellent reserve and one of the best wildlife-watching walks in Dorset, but dogs must stay on a short lead throughout to protect ground-nesting birds and reptiles, and there's a parking charge unless you're an RSPB member. Not the place for an off-lead run, but hard to beat for scenery and birdlife.
The RSPB's flagship Poole Harbour reserve, spanning heathland, ancient oak woodland, mudflats and shoreline on the Arne peninsula. All six native British reptiles have been recorded here, and waymarked trails lead through the heath to Shipstal Point, with views across the harbour to Brownsea Island.