Kingcombe Meadows & Centre is a quiet, tucked away place in the Hooke valley where the countryside still feels traditional and wild. Meadow paths, green lanes and streams weave through a patchwork of fields, hedges and small woods, with plenty of birds, butterflies and seasonal wildflowers to spot. At the Kingcombe Centre you can pause for refreshments, pick up local information or join a course, making it an easy and welcoming base for gentle walks, picnics and unhurried time in nature.

Kingcombe is also a gateway to the wider Kingcombe National Nature Reserve, incorporating Kingcombe Meadows and Powerstock Common nature reserves, where you can enjoy exploring the unspoilt countryside and ancient woodland.

As you journey on the winding county lanes, past the quaint rivers and through the superb, unspoilt countryside you will find the Kingcombe Centre. The Centre bursts with character and charm and is a lovely place to take a moment from busy lives and just relax and be inspired. The Kingcombe Centre runs events and courses to help you connect with nature – in photography to art and archaeology to astronomy, there really is something for everyone!

If you feel peckish then the Kingcombe Centre has a cafe offering hot drinks and delicious cakes.

Check events and seasonal opening hours for The Kitchen on the Dorset Wildlife Trust website

The 185 hectare reserve is managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust as a working farm, grazed by cows and sheep, using traditional methods without artificial fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides. The result is a patchwork of fields & unimproved grassland, broken up by thick hedges, streams, ponds, ancient green lanes & wooded areas.

For us, the result is a stunning landscape rich in wildlife to see. In Spring the wildflowers put on a good show and is well worth a visit.

There is a marked trail across the reserve which can be followed as a short or long circular walks. There is also a marked Tramper route, suitable for powered disabled vehicles, when ground conditions allow.

For those longer for a longer hike, then join a long distance trails that heads across the site. There is the Jubilee Trail and the Wessex Ridgeway.

An overview and map to download can be found on the Dorset Wildlife Trust website..