A spectacular new walking route giving visitors access to one of the most secluded parts of RSPB Arne near Wareham has officially opened, offering stunning views and a chance to see some of Dorset’s rarest wildlife.
The new saline lagoon trail was tested out by BBC Springwatch presenter Jack Baddams who walked along the route to a new wildlife view point, before its official opening to the public on Tuesday 4th August 2026.
RSPB Arne’s visitor operations manage Lesley Gorman with BBC Springwatch star Jack Baddams at the new wildlife viewpoint screen
Open three months a year
Previously closed to the public, the saline lagoon trail will only be open during August, September and October each year to protect sensitive ground nesting birds in spring and early summer, as well as overwintering birds that gather around the lagoon in the colder months.
Made possible by donations from supporters, the new route begins in Big Wood before winding through ancient wet woodland lined with sweet chestnut, oak and willow trees.
It then crosses an area of heathland where smooth snakes, sand lizards, Dartford warblers and stonechats can often be spotted among the heather.
The walk culminates at the saline lagoon, a former clay quarry transformed into a thriving wildlife habitat, where a specially built viewing screen allows visitors to watch wildlife without disturbing it.
Among the species regularly seen are kingfishers, little grebes, seals, white-tailed eagles and ospreys.
The newly created saline lagoon is already host to a remarkable number of birds
“We came to look for the eagles”
Television naturalist Jack Baddams visited Arne in 2023 and 2024 while filming Springwatch, and has returned several times since to what he calls one of Britain’s most remarkable wildlife locations.
Jack Baddams said:
“It’s a long way to come down from my home in Sherwood, but it is always worth it. Arne is such an amazing place.
“What I learned about Arne from filming Springwatch here is just how vast it is – there is so much that visitors don’t get to see.
“My favourite part of being here was always coming along this road and seeing that view over the harbour when we came to look for the eagles in the morning.”
Jack Baddams led some bird spotting on the walk down to the new wildlife screen
“The best of both worlds”
Jack added:
“The first time the Springwatch team ever did a recce at Arne, this little track really sold it to us. We fell in love with the view, and spotted a seal in the harbour, which was very exciting, and now visitors can experience it too.
“What is really important is that you get the best of both worlds – people can come and experience these amazing views that have previously been private and see the wildlife at a time which will not impact the birds.
“The viewing screen is really beautiful, but more than that, this walk has unlocked a large part of Arne that people will not have seen before.”
A chance to sit down and enjoy the view, along with a tramper which can be booked out by the disabled and elderly
Benches for rest along the route
The lagoon was once an active clay pit owned by Imerys, providing minerals for various industries including the world famous Wedgewood pottery.
Imerys worked closely with RSPB to design the site as a nature reserve, with its purchase funded by a grant from waste management company Viridor plus contributions from the Wild Purbeck nature improvement area.
The new saline lagoon trail is a 45 minute walk each way, with benches provided for rest along the route.
Visitors may see kingfishers, and seals swimming in from the channel along with white tailed eagles and ospreys catching fish.
Bird watching at the new wildlife screen next to the saline lagoon
“What’s not to love?!”
Lesley Gorman, visitor operations manager at RSPB Arne, said:
“This is a part of the reserve that is not normally open to visitors, it goes across a really large area of heathland, which is excellent for Dartmoor warblers and the new saline lagoon we created is a fantastic sheltered spot which is very well used by the birds.
“It’s really exciting to be able to open it up to visitors and let other people see it. Once people do see it, they will want to go back again, it’s a lovely walk and the views across the harbour are spectacular.
“You end up at a new, enclosed screen looking out over the lagoon – what’s not to love?!
“The viewing screen was built by Flights of Fantasy, and funded by a number of donations from supporters and well wishers which enabled us to build it and do work on the paths to make it really accessible.”
RSPB Arne has taken steps to make the new trail as accessible as possible to all
Sign language tablet
RSPB Arne also has two all terrain trampers which allow the disabled and elderly to experience the new trail.
There is also free use of a sign language tablet funded by the National Lottery, which has video clips of a signer telling visitors about the reserve at key points along the trail.
Jack Baddams recalls how Springwatch from RSPB Arne took a traumatic turn
Show became known as Deathwatch
The one thing Jack Baddams hopes that visitors won’t see during their visit is the violent predatory action which marked Springwatch’s time at RSPB Arne.
Jack told Swanage.News:
“The thing I remember most about Arne is how dramatic it all was – the number of ways in which animals were eaten by other animals was extraordinary, you had no idea what was going to happen next.
“There was a goshawk on song thrushes, a fox which tunneled its way through a fallen log to eat some blackbirds, and the most amazing thing I have ever seen in all my years of filming, when a nightjar ate its newly hatched chick.
“Our producer offered counselling to the guys who were watching the camera after one particularly brutal scene with two buzzards. There were very serious discussions on just how much of this we could show, because of the growing number of complaints from viewers about violence.
“It was very stressful. One producer said if anything else violent happened she would lose her mind, which was the day before the snakes came in and killed all the chicks in a reed bunting nest.
“Arne is a fully functioning ecosystem, and that is great, but the production did become known as Deathwatch that year.”
Further information
- Discover more about Arne on the RSPB website
