Studland

Studland is a village on the Isle of Purbeck, about 2 miles north of Swanage over a steep chalk ridge, and 3 miles south of Sandbanks across Poole Harbour. The parish had 406 residents at the 2021 census, though many houses are holiday or second homes, so the number of people in the village changes with the season. Most of the village sits a few hundred metres inland, in the lee of Ballard Down. The parish church of St Nicholas is a Grade I listed Norman church, one of the most complete in the area.

Studland Bay is a long curve of sandy beaches backed by dunes and heathland. The beaches are South Beach, Middle Beach and Knoll Beach, with Shell Bay to the north; see Knoll Beach. The final stage of the South West Coast Path, walked in the conventional direction from Minehead, follows the bay and ends at South Haven Point, where a steel sculpture marks the finish.

Behind the dunes is Studland Heath, with the freshwater lake called Little Sea. Studland and Godlingston Heath is a national nature reserve, now part of the larger Purbeck Heaths reserve, and all six native British reptiles live there. The heath is also a stronghold of the Dartford warbler. Agglestone Rock, about 5 metres high and an estimated 400 tonnes, stands on Godlingston Heath.