Lyscombe - an exciting opportunity for Dorset Wildlife Trust to create more space for nature in Dorset.

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By Hazel Ormord, Marketing Manager

“The first time I saw the Lyscombe bowl, it took my breath away – literally, as there are some steep hills! It is already an awe-inspiring place. At the same time, you realise how much more wonderful it will be in the future with abundant wildlife all around you.”
Imogen Davenport, Conservation Director - Dorset Wildlife Trust

In March 2024, Dorset Wildlife Trust, in partnership with Natural England, purchased 335 hectares (827 acres) of land at Lyscombe, ten miles north-east of Dorchester. This monumental acquisition – one of the biggest in the Trust’s history - was made possible by Natural England’s National Nature Reserves programme and planned nutrient mitigation credit scheme, alongside the incredible generosity of our members and supporters.

Nestled within the breathtaking Dorset National Landscape, this expansive area boasts a treasure trove of chalk downland, lush scrub, vibrant wildflower meadows, and ancient woodland. It holds a number of prestigious designations, including a 50-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), and several Scheduled Monuments, including the unique Lyscombe Chapel.

Landscape-scale Nature Recovery

Our aim is to establish Lyscombe as a national exemplar nature restoration initiative to transform the farmland into a wildlife-rich National Nature Reserve, acting as a core area for nature recovery across the wider landscape. To achieve this, a unique and exciting blend of natural regeneration techniques and a rewilding approach will be taken, alongside more traditional conservation management. We will be building on what we have discovered has worked at our rewilding site at Wild Woodbury, although of course, this is a different site with new opportunities. We’ll be working with neighbouring landowners and farmers and with the Dorset Downs farm cluster within which Lyscombe lies.

Before anything else happens, we will undertake extensive ecological, soil, hydrological and other environmental surveys across the land to establish baselines for invertebrates, small mammals, bats, breeding birds and flora to help inform and develop our land management plans. At the same time, we will be working on installing fencing and other infrastructure needed to facilitate low intensity mixed grazing across the SSSI and former arable land as well as the grasslands and woodlands. The intention is to allow much of the site to rewild using natural regeneration techniques, supplemented by appropriate tree planting. The land is likely to develop into a mosaic of grassland and scrubby wood pasture which will also require grazing with the associated infrastructure and animal welfare needs.

A Reedy Valley

Lyscombe means ‘reedy valley’ in Old English and the Little Piddle, a tributary of the River Piddle, rises in the bowl of this valley. The site presents an exciting opportunity to restore the river for wildlife and the environment, and to reduce harmful nutrients flowing into Poole Harbour via the catchment’s waterways. Poole Harbour has been suffering for years from algal blooms, caused by excessive nutrients, originating from both land management like fertilisers and slurry and discharges from sewage treatment. The Nutrient Neutrality scheme is based on making a permanent management changes - ceasing nutrient inputs and arable cultivation in perpetuity.

An ancient landscape

Lyscombe lies in an ancient landscape that shows evidence of human occupation for millennia, with earthworks, ancient settlements, barrows and the fascinating Lyscombe Chapel, a medieval building dating back to the 12th century. The chapel was once a stop-off point between Cerne and Milton Abbeys and today, the downs are still criss-crossed by footpaths and bridleways. The monks and other pilgrims once travelling the route would have been moving through a landscape which superficially would have some similarities to now – much of England’s former woodland cover was lost before the Black Death in the 1300s for example – but it would have also been a landscape of much more abundant and varied wildlife. We hope to restore some of that connectivity for nature as well as for people.

We need nature more than ever. The UK has signed up to the international target to ensure that 30% of our land and sea is managed for nature by 2030. Making space for nature to become abundant will give our struggling wildlife the chance to recover and help to restore beautiful wild places – places that clean water, store carbon, help to tackle the climate crisis and contribute to the quality of life experienced by us all.

The visually stunning location of Lyscombe lends itself well to engaging people and communities, enabling people to play a role in addressing the climate and ecological crises, contributing to our goal of one in four people taking action for nature. We will create opportunities for people of all backgrounds and abilities to learn about and enjoy nature and help to create a wildlife haven for everyone. The acquisition and restoration of Lyscombe will make a significant contribution to achieving these goals in Dorset.

Visiting Lyscombe

The public are welcome to visit Lyscombe and there are a number of public footpaths which give access across the land and in particular, around the chalk bowl giving fine views across the Dorset countryside. More access to the land at Lyscombe will be opened over the next two years, and we will be organising public and member events as well. Although facilities are currently limited, there is a small parking area at the entrance to Lyscombe. 

The postcode is: DT2 7RF
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Find out more about the Trust’s work at: www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Updated information October 2025:

This year, we began restoring the wonderfully named Little Piddle, a small chalk stream flowing through Lyscombe nature reserve. Like many UK watercourses, it was straightened, culverted, and separated from its floodplain to suit agriculture—draining wetlands, reducing biodiversity, and allowing nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to flow downstream. To improve its ecological and hydrological health, we are undertaking work to reconnect the stream to its floodplain and let it follow a more natural course. A hydrological survey we commissioned when acquiring Lyscombe has guided our restoration efforts.

Significant progress has already been made at the former farmyard. The stream, once confined by a metal sluice gate, culvert pipe, and concrete yard, has been freed. The historic flint wall remains, but the other structures have been removed. Wildflower seeds will be sown where the yard once stood, creating a species-rich meadow leading to the stream.

Further work is planned this winter, including installing leaky dams to hold water on site and release it slowly. This could reduce flash flooding downstream and allows nutrients to be retained in soil and vegetation, resulting in cleaner water flowing into Dorset’s seas and harbours.

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