a stone's throw from the Isle of Wight

...many of my recent blips have been taken while walking on Godlingston Heath so I thought it was time to give you some idea of what this wildlife rich area of wetland heath looks like.

A feature of the heath is the Agglestone, which is a 400 tonne block of iron rich sandstone (Agglestone grit) that has weathered more slowly than the softer sandstone around it. For a long time it was balanced horizontally on a small plinth of rock but has since toppled over. There is a wonderful piece of mythology that explains its existence as a result of the Devil throwing a rock at Corfe Castle from the Isle of Wight and missing! Quite what the Devil was doing on the Isle of Wight is never explained.

This view looks across Studland Bay to Bournemouth in the distance. One of the many reasons I love the heath is that, no matter how packed it gets on Knoll Beach or the walk from Studland to Old Harry, Godlingston is usually lovely and quiet...