THE National Trust has acquired Weston Farm on the Purbeck coast in Dorset to protect this stretch of coastline for both nature and future generations.
Over the coming years this 350-acre farm will be transformed through a careful combination of nature recovery, conservation management and regenerative agriculture.
A mosaic of species-rich grasslands, wildflower meadows, scrub and woodlands will emerge, creating a much wider coastal corridor for nature that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Just over a quarter of the land is already a Site of Special Scientific Interest and sits within Dorset Area of Outstanding Beauty.
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The land forms the eastern half of St Aldhem’s Head, and will extend the existing Trust-owned ‘Purbeck Wares’ that lie to the east, famous for being some of Britain’s best grasslands for orchids and other rare wildflowers.
The coastal strip of Weston Farm includes ancient ‘strip lynchet’ terraced field systems and Winspit quarry caves.
Tracey Churcher, National Trust General Manager for Purbeck, said:
"Nature recovery is at the heart of what we do, but so is connecting people with nature and the outdoors. The South West coastal path runs along the edge of the farm and we’ll be able to move the current field fences much further back, giving walkers room to spread out, savour the remarkable coastal views and take in the nature-rich landscape.”
David Brown, National Trust Ecologist for Purbeck, said: “In the future people will enjoy fantastic uninterrupted access along a seven-kilometre stretch of some of the UK’s best coastline, and be free to explore some its most diverse and ecologically rich grasslands.
“We aim to create a landscape that is richer in nature, so there’ll be no chemical inputs or regular ploughing on any of the land and life will be restored to the soil using natural regenerative farming methods. As the land is given time to rest and recover, the ground will store more carbon and streams flowing off the land will be cleaner and healthier.”
Over time lower level, naturalistic grazing and active habitat restoration through re-seeding and meadow management will create nature-rich habitats.
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