Our verdict
Genuinely wild-feeling for somewhere ringed by housing — you can lose a couple of hours on the gravel tracks without retracing your steps. Ground-nesting birds and reptiles mean dogs need to stay on the paths and under close control through spring and summer.
The largest surviving block of lowland heath in Dorset, running to some 344 hectares of dry and wet heath on Poole's northern edge. A Site of Special Scientific Interest, and one of the strongholds for sand lizard, smooth snake, Dartford warbler and nightjar.
Open access land — you can roam freely on foot.