East of Southbourne the built-up seafront finally stops, and the land rises into a headland of heath, gorse and sandstone cliff. Hengistbury Head is a proper nature reserve — a Site of Special Scientific Interest — and one of the few places within easy reach of central Bournemouth where you can walk for an hour and meet more birds than people. From the high ground the view opens across Poole Bay to the Isle of Wight, with Christchurch Harbour spread flat and sheltered on the landward side. It is the sort of place you come back from with sand in your shoes and your head cleared.
A headland with a long history
People have lived out here for a very long time. Hengistbury was a significant Iron Age settlement and trading port, defended on its landward side by the Double Dykes — two great earthen banks you can still walk along today. The visitor centre tells that story and a far longer one, running back through some 65 million years of geology, and it is free to go in. It makes a sensible first stop, if only for the map and a sense of which way to head.
What to see and do
The obvious thing is to walk. Paths climb the headland and follow the cliff edge, and the reserve’s heath, woodland and freshwater habitats support hundreds of plant species and a great many birds — it is a serious spot for birdwatchers, particularly on the marshy ground behind the beach. On the sheltered side, the land train trundles from near the visitor centre out to Mudeford Sandspit, where a line of beach huts faces the harbour mouth. Walk out and ride back, or the other way round. Dogs are welcome on leads.
Visiting
There is a large pay-and-display car park at the entrance, a café at the visitor centre doing hot drinks and Purbeck ice cream, and toilets. The land train runs seasonally — roughly Easter to October, with longer hours through the school summer holidays — so check current times if it is the reason you are coming. The reserve itself is open all the time and free; you pay only for parking and for the train.
Nearby
The headland sits at the far end of the shoreline, beyond Southbourne and its long sandy beach, so you can reach it on foot along the promenade past Fisherman’s Walk if you fancy the walk. Across the water lies Christchurch, with its priory and quay, reached by the small ferry from Mudeford. It is one of the better half-day attractions near Bournemouth for anyone who wants sea air without an arcade in sight.
