STUDLAND BEACH SECOND WORLD WAR WALK

Explore the hidden features of Studland’s Second World War past that remind us of the importance of Studland as a training ground for troops in the months leading up to D-Day.

START 1: From Middle Beach car park, descend the path by the lookout hut and go left to a bridge over a small stream. Here you can view a line of Dragon’s Teeth (SZ036830).

2: Go between the beach huts onto the beach, turn right and head south along the seashore.

3: Go past the beach café and turn right up the main track before turning left onto the waymarked coast path. Just a few hundred metres along this route is Fort Henry (SZ037828).

4: Continue along the coast path then head inland on a signposted route to the Bankes Arms. Please note there is currently no access to South Beach at this point due to a landslip. During the Second World War, the Bankes Arms was the control base for a major experiment to test the effectiveness of burning oil as a defence against a German seaborne invasion. This was known as Project Fougasse and involved piping oil to the sea and firing it by explosive charges.

5: Pass the Bankes Arms on the right and

START & END

Middle Beach car park, Studland, Dorset BH19 3AX

Route Details

DIFFICULTY: Easy

TIME: 1 hour

DISTANCE: 1.3 miles (2 km)

MAP: SZ036829 continue

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