Wareham Forest is a great place to explore and discover the famous heaths and woods of the Dorset countryside.
Many miles of tracks take you through beautiful and ancient landscapes, where if you are lucky you’ll see some of the things that make it so special.
This area is home to lots of unique plants like Dorset Heath heather, and Wildlife including Natterer’s Bat and rare reptiles such as Sand Lizards and Smooth Snakes.
Cycle and Walking Trails
The Sika cycle trail takes its name from the famous Sika deer and the Woodlark walking trail is named after the rare ground-nesting birds.
The Sika Cycle Trail at Wareham Forest
Cycling is a fantastic way to explore Wareham Forest and soak up the beautiful scenery.
Cycling is available on the forest roads at the site and our family-friendly routes guarantee an enjoyable day out for everyone!
Follow the blue waymarked posts on the ground. Look out for our info board with maps.
This trail has good surfaces and is suitable for most cycling abilities and there are some benches around the route too! Find more details at the Forestry England website – Sika Trail
Woodlark Trail at Wareham Forest
Follow the way-marked posts around a loop which starts and finishes at the Sika Trail car park.
This walking route has good surfaces and some gentle hills along the way.
Find more details at the Forestry England website – Woodlark Trail
Woolsbarrow Trail at Wareham Forest
The Woolsbarrow walking trail starts at Woolsbarrow carpark and loops around this late bronze age hill fort.
Follow the pink way markers from the carpark and up onto the top of the hill fort for a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Please keep to the main paths around this scheduled ancient monument to help protect it from erosion.
The largest single population of Woodlark species in the country!
Woodlarks, who’s beautiful song you may hear on your walk have a particular stronghold in Wareham Forest, in fact it’s home to the largest single population of this species in the county. They are very susceptible to disturbance especially during the nesting season, so we kindly ask for dogs to be kept on the main tracks at all times.
Grazing Cattle
During the summer months, parts of Wareham Forest are grazed by cattle. This traditional practice is helping to create a varied habitat for wildlife. Please do not approach the cattle too closely and keep your dogs under close control and always ensure that gates are closed behind you.
Forestry England
All of the forests looked after by Forestry England have a forest plan which helps them care for these forests over the long term. They aim to protect, improve and expand forests through active management. The protect woodlands against pests and diseases, support wood processing industries, maintain and improve the biodiversity of forests and make them attractive places for people to visit.
