40 Before 50: Brownsea Island

A good few years ago, my cousin Neil got married in the Haven Hotel on the very end of Sandbanks, from which you can get the ferry to Brownsea Island. I think my fascination for visiting it may have started then, and got even more heightened when the BBC Autumn Watch programme informed me that there are Sika deer and red squirrels on the island.

You would think that having a son living down in Bournemouth, that there would be ample opportunities for hopping over to Brownsea. Well, to make the most of it, you really need to spend a good half day there, so we had to wait for a longer stay (we stayed in a shepherd's hut at South Lytchett Manor - see here).

The lagoon

Brownsea Island is managed by the National Trust, so if you are not a member, there is an entry fee. This is in addition to the fee to get the ferry. You can get the ferry from Sandbanks or Poole Harbour and you can pre-book. At the moment you are restricted to which return ferry you get - I think we had a four hour window. However, if it is quiet like when we were there, we were permitted to change our ferry.

If you do get the ferry from Sandbanks, a note on parking: you can't park at the end of Sandbanks - that is a one hour only car park. You can park at any of the metered spaces off the roads or there is a larger car park about half way along, which is approximately a 15 minute walk to the ferry. Be warned - parking is expensive!

There are no cars (apart from service vehicles) so it is exceptionally quiet. Even this mother duck and her ducklings couldn't resist a rest in the middle of one of the gravel roads.

As you can imagine, there are lots of tracks and trails that would suit different accessibility needs. We chose the track that took us around the whole island, starting with the nature reserve and the red squirrel woodland. We were lucky enough to spot a red squirrel - but not quick enough for a photo!

There are a couple of areas where you can access the small beaches. This one had gorgeous sand with bleached wood. Maybe not quite the beautiful sand as Sandbanks sports, but more ruggedly beautiful.

The area to the left which you can't see is the ruins of a village, Maryland, which housed pottery workers. The village was closed in 1927. In the distance of this photo, you can just spot a Sika deer running across the track. 

There is such a rich ecosystem on Brownsea. It was an absolute joy to walk around.

Unusually, there are a few peacocks around. This one decided to pop in to the camp store! Brownsea Island was used by Robert Baden-Powell to test out an experimental scouting camp. There is a scout camp facility there today.

Poole harbour and its environs is actually quite geographically complex - I think my husband may be looking over to the Purbeck Hills here from Brownsea island - but don't quote me on it!

There was quite a bit of industrial rubble on this beach - clearly some structure had been partially washed away by the sea.

We spotted this oystercatcher who was understandably vocal about keeping us away from her/his chick (who wouldn't be photographed, and we didn't want to disturb them further).

Brownsea Castle is not owned by the National Trust, but by John Lewis, so is sadly not open to the public. There is a nice café right by the harbour, and you can also buy snacks and drinks from a kiosk by the scout camp.

So, I am really glad that we visited - we had a fantastic time, and it was gloriously quiet (a Monday in June). We were very lucky.

Love Mrs Jones x