Churchmoor Copse
The site is extremely popular with dog walkers and children, as it is one of the few green open spaces in the immediate neighbourhood. Here the priority is to open up the dense, dark canopy of trees in order to allow light to reach the woodland floor and encourage natural regeneration of birch, oak and a more varied ground flora.
Owner: East Dorset District Council
Managed by: East Dorset Countryside Management Service
Site designation:
- Local Nature Reserve
Grid reference: SU 033 004
Nearest town: Colehill
Size (Ha): Two Ha
Nearest bus stop: Middlehill Road, Wilts and Dorset bus route
Nearest train station: Poole (6.5 miles)
Habitats: Mature oak woodland with a dense holly and bramble understorey
Parking: parking is available in the Scout and Guide Headquarters car park off Cutlers Place.
Accessibility: un-surfaced paths
Facilities: dog bins at main entrances to site
How to get there:
From Wimborne, follow the B3073 (Leigh Road) out of Wimborne, heading east towards Canford Bottom. Turn left onto Hayes Lane at the Texaco Garage, go over a bridge, turn left onto Jessopp Road and immediately left again onto Cutlers Place. Follow the road round until you see the Scout Hut car park off a cul-de-sac to your right.
From Colehill, follow Middlehill Road heading east towards Canford Bottom. Turn right onto Cutlers Place (signposted St. Catherine's and Hayeswood schools), follow the road round past the schools until you see the Scout Hut car park off a cul-de-sac to your left.
From the east, follow the A31 towards Wimborne. At the Canford Bottom roundabout turn right onto Canford Bottom, signposted Colehill. Follow the road up hill and turn left onto Cutlers Place (signposted St. Catherine's and Hayeswood schools), follow the road round past the schools until you see the Scout Hut car park off a cul-de-sac to your left.
Management plan:
At the present time the management plan for Churchmoor Copse is under review. Due to the age of the larger trees much of the future work in the Copse will be dictated by tree safety issues. Work is ongoing to assess the safety and quality of the trees.
