Walk · Dorset

Canford Heath

Poole

3.2MILES

1h 45mON FOOT

70mCLIMB

CircularSHAPE

The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland

Off-road 100% 0% shares tarmac with cars

Field & moor path 55%Lane & track 45%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at

Francis Avenue entrance on the northern edge of the Canford Heath estate

Parking

No car park: free on-street parking at the Francis Avenue and Gravel Hill entrances, a five-minute walk from the open heath

Directions to the start →

A 3.2-mile loop of the largest surviving lowland heath inside an English town, an hour and three quarters on sandy tracks and single-track paths with 70 metres of gentle climb and long views west to the Purbecks. Start from the Francis Avenue or Gravel Hill entrances, where parking is free on-street at the edge of the estate: there is no formal car park, so park considerately and expect a five-minute walk in. This is a European-protected reserve, so BCP runs a dogs-on-lead season from March to August with leads of no more than two metres to protect nightjar, Dartford warbler and woodlark nesting on the ground. Outside those months it is superb off-lead country, but there is no water anywhere on the heath and adders are common.

THE SMALL PRINTBCP dogs-on-lead season runs March to August on Canford Heath and the other heathland nature reserves, with leads of no more than 2 metres where requested, to limit disturbance to protected ground-nesting birds. Adders are common on the sandy paths.

House rules, decoded

Off-lead allowed

REGION · DORSET

GRID · 50.7545, -1.9600

SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.BCPCOUNCIL.GOV.UK/PARKS-NATURE-AND-GREEN-SPACES/RULES-TO-FOLLOW-IN-OUR-NATURE-RESERVES/DOGS-ON-LEAD-SEASON-IN-NATURE-RESERVES

Canford Heath

House rules, decoded

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