UK holidaymakers have been warned they won't be able to access a popular island off the coast of Dorset until next year ahead of an upcoming closure. Brownsea Island, based in the heart of Poole Harbour and owned by the National Trust, opens to the public each summer. But the pretty, car-free spot, which is accessible by regular ferries from Poole Harbour, shuts between November and March on an annual basis.
Why the island closes each year
The closure ensures the safeguarding of Brownsea Island's ecosystems and wildlife and allows the Trust to carry out off-season conservation and maintenance work. It is considered one of southern England's most important refuges for red squirrels and is also home to wildlife including sika deer, water voles and peacocks.
What visitors can expect
Brownsea Island forms part of the Purbeck National Nature Reserve, with its new Lookout wildlife observatory and bird hides offering sweeping views of wading birds in its lagoon and surrounding reedbeds. It also features more than 500 acres of pine woodland, salt-marsh and heathland and a 16th-century Tudor castle built by Henry VIII.
Visitors can enjoy a harbourside lunch at the Villano Cafe, explore local history at the Visitor Centre and Engine Room and board a Squirrel Shuttle before pitching up for the night at an outdoor campsite. Over the summer months, the island is accessible via a 30-minute boat trip, costing around £15, plus visiting fees of £12, although National Trust members go free.
Literary connection
Brownsea Island is also thought to have been the inspiration for Whispering Island in Enid Blyton's Famous Five novel, Five Have a Mystery to Solve. Ms Blyton visited the Dorset coast three times a year for over two decades, according to Visit Dorset, and was fascinated by the island's reclusive owner Ms Bonham-Christie, who kept it entirely off-limits to the public until her death in 1961.
