Natural England - Stoborough Heath NNR
Stoborough Heath NNR
The habitat is made up of dry heath, mire and acid grassland reverting to heath.
County: Dorset
Main habitats: Lowland Heath
Area: 109 Ha
Site map: Nature on the Map.
Stoborough Heath NNR is a heathland reserve adjacent to Hartland Moor NNR.
To view a map of Stoborough Heath, click here 
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The grassland was heath until the 1950s when it started to be used for agriculture. The area was declared a NNR in 1985 to reinstate the heathland, and in 2001 the site was expanded with the acquisition of Sunnyside Farm .
Management is essential in maintaining the heath's security and interest. Fire breaks are cut and maintained to combat the risk of fire. Gorse is cut in rotation to provide habitat for nesting birds. Sand patches are rotavated to enable sand lizards to lay their eggs and to create habitat for burrowing wasps. Scrub is also cut to halt succession from heath to woodland.
Typical heathland plant species found here include the rare bog orchid, Dorset heath, white and brown beak sedge, marsh gentian, dwarf and common gorse.
Invertebrates found at the site include the rare wartbiter cricket, and golden ringed, ruddy darter and keeled skimmer dragonflies.
Local bird species include nightjar, Dartford warbler, merlin and skylark.
Location and access
Hartland Moor is on the south side of Poole Harbour, 4 km south east of Wareham.
By car, the site is accessed via minor roads from the A351. Local village include Arne, Stoborough Green, Ridge and Norden. The nearest car parks are in Norden (3 km to the south), Arne and Ridge.
The nearest train station is in Wareham served by South West Trains. A seasonal steam locomotive rail service between Norton and Swanage (10 km to the south east) is provided by the Swanage Railway.
Local bus services connecting Wareham and Swanage pass near the reserve on the A351. Contact the Wilts and Dorset Bus Company for details. Bus services to Wareham are also provided by First Group.
Disabled visitors can access part of the reserve via the Hartland Way, a 410 metre track that follows Scotland Road - the path of a disused tramline. The track is one of the Fieldfare Trust's Millennium Miles project and is accessed via a gate opposite Middlebere Farm, or via a track off the Slepe Farm to Corfe Castle Road.
Facilities
The nearest toilet and refreshment facilities are in local villages. There are signs to assist visitors and leaflets are available on-site.