Brownsea Island

Brownsea is about two square kilometres in Poole Harbour, and because it is an island the grey squirrel never reached it, so it holds around two hundred and fifty red squirrels, one of a handful of surviving English populations. The northern half is a Dorset Wildlife Trust lagoon and reedbed where avocets, terns and spoonbills breed, with hides. In August 1907 Robert Baden-Powell brought twenty boys from different social backgrounds to camp here for a week, an experiment that became the Scout movement; a stone marks the site and Scouts still camp on the island. Earlier owners included Mary Bonham-Christie, who bought it in 1927, evicted the residents and let it revert to wilderness for thirty years, which is much of why the wildlife is what it is.

What you actually see

• The red squirrels - around two hundred and fifty, most visible in autumn.
• The lagoon hides - avocets, terns and spoonbills on the northern reserve.
• The Scout camp site - a stone marking the 1907 experimental camp.
• The reverted woodland - thirty years of deliberate neglect from 1927.

When to go

April to October, the ferry season; the island closes to general visitors in winter. Autumn is best for squirrels as they forage before winter. Breeding birds are on the lagoon from spring.

Honest expectations

Access is by ferry only, with the last boat setting a firm deadline, and crossings stop entirely for the winter. Two tickets are needed, ferry and National Trust entry. Squirrel sightings are not guaranteed and need patience and quiet.

Nearby

Poole Quay and Sandbanks are the ferry points; Studland and Old Harry lie across the harbour mouth.