Wareham Tourist Information

Wareham Tourist Attractions

Down near the River Frome on South Street you'll find the informative Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre. It's well worth a visit if you're staying in the area as you'll find a whole host of information on Wareham and the surrounding Purbeck countryside as well as information on wildlife, history and places to visit. Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre, South Street, Wareham, BH20 4LU. Tel: 01929 552740. Fax: 01929 554491. Email: tic@purbeck-dc.gov.uk

To explore Wareham itself there are two town walks - the Walls Walk that takes you along the Saxon walls that surround the town on three sides, or the Town Walk which takes you past some of the historic locations in the town including the site of the castle that once stood here. Both walks are signposted around the town. A leaflet detailing the walks and sights is available from the Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre.

For an aquatic exploration you can hire boats from Wareham Quay, just along from the Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre. Wareham Boat Hire has a collection of rowing and motor propelled boats as well as the Wheelie Boat which makes a trip up the river accessible for those in wheelchairs. Check out the weblink right for more information. Wareham Boat Hire, Abbots Quay, Wareham, Dorset BH20 4LW. Tel: 01929 550688.

Wareham lies between the River Piddle to the north and the River Frome to the south. Around the time that the Stone Age settlers would have lived here the land would have largely been marshland and bog. Successive settlements tamed the landscape with ditches and drains converting the land into more suitable pastureland and meadows interspersed with reedbeds - all of which provided food and resources for making homes or feeding families. The traditional management of this landscape gave rise to water meadows where water levels were controlled by sluices and weirs. Although that traditional management system has largely been abandoned you can find out more about these methods and the rich plant and wildlife that survive in them at Priory Meadow where a circular walk, bird screen and interpretation boards highlight the particular interest of Wareham's water meadows. The Information Centre also has leaflets and an interpretive display.

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TE Lawrence at Wareham Museum

Wareham Town Museum is worth a visit for Lawrence enthusiasts. It contains a whole section on Lawrence of Arabia containing photographs and documents relating to his life both in Dorset and the Middle East.

There is also a life-sized effigy of Lawrence in Arabic dress at St Martin's Church at Wareham. This was sculpted by war artist Eric Kennington and had been intended for his tomb at St Paul's Cathedral. However, at the time of his death the political unrest meant that they wouldn't accept it and it eventually found a home in this eleventh century church.

The church is open from Easter to October. If the church is locked the key can be obtained during shop hours from AF Joy (Outfitters) on 35 North Street in the town centre.

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Wareham Town Museum

Wareham Museum also holds collections relating to the town's history from prehistoric times right up to the present day. Exhibits include pottery that was made in Wareham during the Roman occupation, details of Wareham's role as a port and market town and a range of fossils, rocks and minerals that tell the story of the Jurassic Coast's geology particularly in the Purbeck area. Look out for the cast of a footprint of a dinosaur estimated to be about 150 million years old!

The museum is open from end March to end October 10am-4pm Mon-Sat . Admission is free but donations are relied upon to keep it going.

Wareham Town Museum, East Street, Wareham, Dorset. BH20 4NN. Tel: 01929 553448. Email: info@wtm.org.uk

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Poole Harbour Wildlife Reserves

Around the coast and rivers of Wareham is a network of protected wildlife sites that spread out into Poole Harbour. The mix of water meadows, grazing marsh and reedbeds provide excellent habitat for wading birds.

All around Wareham you'll find extensive areas of heathlands and wildlife hotspots - many of which fall into the Dorset Heaths National Nature Reserve which contains Stoborough Heath and Hartland Moor to the south of Wareham. The Dorset Heaths are home to some of Britain's rarest wildlife including sand lizards, adders, grass snakes, common lizards, slow worms, smooth snakes, Dartford warblers, nightjars as well as all the specialist plant species of heathlands.

Arne Reedbeds NNR is an excellent birdwatching reserve over on the Studland peninsula. Largely managed by the RSPB where you might spot nightjars, Dartford warblers, avocets and hen harriers.

The local Natural England office and the RSPB run regular guided walks in these areas so check the links right or ask for further information at the Purbeck Information and Heritage Centre.

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Wareham Forest

North west of Wareham itself is an extensive area of Forestry Commission conifer plantations. Within these runs the Sika Trail, a walking or cycling trail that takes you through forest and heathland where you might even spot a Sika or Roe deer. The cycling route is suitable for all ages and abilities.

Check the weblink right for more information.

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