Cyril's Elusive Relatives

Brownsea Island has always been a place I wanted to visit due to its vast amount of wildlife, especially the red squirrels which are found in only a few locations throughout the UK. The island is home to 200 of them and is the ideal habitat as there are no foxes or other natural predators.

The island is only a short five minute trip across the bay by ferry from either Poole Quay or Sandbanks which leave from both locations every 30 minutes. Once there you pay a fee which goes towards the upkeep of Brownsea Island. Luckily we were given a map so we could find our way around this extensive island, which meant we could pick and choose what area we wanted to go to, of which there is a vast choice. You can find yourself exploring a lagoon, woodland, cliff top views, heathland, beaches and even a nature reserve run by Dorset Wildlife Trust.

We opted to follow one of the suggested walks on the map which is two miles around a section of woodland in the hope that we might see some elusive red squirrels or perhaps even a deer. One of the main features of the woodland walk is a church, built in 1853; services still continue to be held in the summer months even though the building has no electricity or water supply. There were plenty of peacocks and tiny goslings enjoying the sun as well as hens who even found their way into the visitors centre. Sadly, there were no red squirrels or deer to be found on the woodland walk but at least I know that Cyril and Cybil, the two resident red squirrels, can be found most evenings at our parks. 

We then made our way up to the cliff tops which had an amazing view over to the Isle of Purbeck and although it was incredibly windy we also ventured down to the beaches on the South Shore. Once we were sufficiently windswept we headed back up the cliffs and continued our walk which took us past the remains of the vinery as well as a lily pond.

Although we were slightly disappointed that we did not see any red squirrels, we will definitely be heading back in the autumn which is the best time of year to spot them; you can even join a red squirrel guided walk which runs daily from the 23rd September to the 25th October at 11:30 and 14:00. We had a fantastic day and and highly recommend it as a place to visit if your staying at one of our parks or you live in the local area.

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