Upton Heath

Upton Heath has several private owners and is not managed by just one party. Dorset Wildlife Trust owns the grazing area south of the dismantled railway and also leases an area north of the railway. Dorset Wildlife Trust owns the route of the dismantled railway. Dorset County Council owns 7 hectares within the South East corner of the heath. Dorset Countryside Ranger Service has been managing the conversion of the 'Pine Clump' back into heathland. This area now supports both Nightjar (ground nesting birds) and sand lizards.

The Borough of Poole is responsible for the Roman Road and the sections of Castleman Trailway within the Borough, and also own the linear woodland to the south of the grazing area. East Dorset District Council owns and manages the viewpoint including the informal BMX track. East Dorset District Council also owns the car park at Springdale Road and surrounding land, which is leased, to Corfe Mullen Parish Council. Upton Heath is one of the largest sites covered by the project, approximately 216 ha. This site comprises of a number of different habitats and is designated as a SSSI.

History:

Part of the 16 mile long Castleman Trailway runs through Upton, at the moment the entire route is available for walkers, with parts of the path open to cyclists and horse riders. Most of this follows the route of the old Southampton to Dorchester railway line, which was opened in 1847 and closed in the 1960's. A solicitor from Wimborne called Charles Castleman was mostly responsible for the building of the line, which twisted its way across the New Forest, Ringwood, Wimborne, Hamworthy before heading west to Dorchester, giving the line the nickname 'Castleman's Corkscrew.

For further information view the Castleman Trailway.

In the recent history of the site, a large fire took place on 6 April 2002, leaving one third of the area burned. The regeneration is variable, but is now flowering again.