Cool Place of the Day: Brownsea Island, Dorset

Every day, a new place to discover or explore from coolplaces.co.uk

Brownsea Island’s south shore: This island wildlife sanctuary is a haven for wildlife such as red squirrels and a huge variety of birds (John Millar/National Trust)

It’s Enid Blyton’s birthday today (she would have been 119, in case you were wondering), and so we thought we’d feature Brownsea Island, which was apparently the model for Whispering Island in her books, and is still as good a place for a boy’s (or girl’s) own adventure, as you could imagine.

Guarding the entrance to Poole harbour and reached by regular ferry from the quayside there, it’s upkeep is divided between the National Trust who own it, and Dorset Wildlife Trust, who look after its unique wildlife, which includes rare red squirrels, lizards, butterflies and any number of wading birds, including the terns and their chicks who you’ll see feeding in the lagoon by the jetty.

The island is home to rare red squirrels (John Millar/National Trust Images)

It’s a magical place to take a picnic and explore its wooded coves and inlets, a wonderful (car-free) place for children to run free, climb trees and swim from its beaches – and there are regular events aimed at children throughout the summer: storytelling sessions, den-building days and more.

There’s a shop and a café by the ferry terminal, and although you can’t normally stay overnigh, the National Trust are offering families the opportunity to camp here over the August bank holiday weekend, a wonderful and rare chance to experience the island after everyone has gone home. Just don’t forget the ginger beer.

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)