Red squirrels, avocets, butterflies, lilies and roses – the UK is home to an amazing breadth of wildlife and plant life. It truly has to be seen to be appreciated and there are hundreds of places where you can get close to them, and enjoy wild Britain. So, when the chance came up to tour some nature spots in our Autocruise Tempo test 'van, I jumped at it. I was also keen to see how the Tempo fared on tour with a week's worth of camping gear aboard.
I aimed to concentrate on Dorset and its coast for my wildlife tour as I've never been to this part of the UK – not because I haven't wanted to, I just hadn't got around to it, until now. I loved the idea of looking over the World Heritage-status Jurassic Coast, and passing through the New Forest was a bonus. Dorset also has a wide variety of sites where I would be able to get close to nature in all its glory.

The stars at night
A few checks, a bit of water in the fresh tank for stops along the way, bags stowed, and that was that. Hitting the open road – via the supermarket to pick up some forgotten essentials (I can't live without tomato ketchup) – I travelled down the A127 to get onto the M25. The visibility from the cab, and the driving position, was so good that within five miles I was feeling relaxed and looking forward to the trip ahead.
Later that day, it was great to leave the M27 and get into the New Forest. I was greeted by a wealth of greenery, something I rarely see at home, in the suburbs of Essex. In fact, most of the travelling I have done around the UK has been along some motorway or other, so it was refreshing to see trees and vast fields at the side of the road.
With the sun shining through, late in the day, I finally hit traffic, but the responsive clutch control and low-down torque of the diesel-powered Peugeot Boxer meant that keeping pace with the cars in front was a doddle.
As the light began to fade, I arrived in Winterbourne Abbas at my first site – Newhaven Camping and Caravanning Club CS. It is a well set-up site with plenty of space, hook-up points, lots of grass pitches and a couple of hardstandings. It's central to the area I was going to explore, too. Before settling in for the night I needed to top up the water tank, but by the time I got around to it the night had grown quite dark.
As I climbed out of the rear doors I looked up, and I can honestly report that I've never seen so many stars. I got my binoculars and trained them skywards, easily picking out Orion's Belt and The Great Bear constellations.
Next morning I awoke to the prospect of a decent day's drive ahead, via Poole, to Wareham my next stop. I wanted to give the Tempo a good, long, non-motorway drive to see how it coped with the hills and narrow roads that make up most of the surrounding countryside. It was also an ideal opportunity to explore areas such as Wareham Forest, Sandford, and Poole. So, I ignored the sat-nav and took to the back roads. I got lost a couple of times but it allowed me to really see the area, close up, away from the motorway.
Parking up in the Sandbanks area of Poole and having a bite to eat while overlooking the beach and harbour gave me the opportunity to plan the week ahead in detail. The view from the Tempo's window was amazing: a sun setting over the sea, and the forest of trees on Brownsea Island in the middle distance. Then it was off to Hunters Moon Caravan Club site where I hooked up and spent the night surrounded by rabbits running through the open fields there.

Back to nature
I awoke to a warm, sunny morning and drove the Tempo out of the campsite for my first stop of the day, to meet our Sarah Wakely, who had travelled down from London to assist me. Being a Dorset belle, Sarah already knew the area pretty well but was looking forward to accompanying me on the visits I had planned. So, off I went to meet her in Poole before we headed to the first nature site on my itinerary.
If you are looking for wildlife, and want to visit an area of unspoilt beauty, you cannot do better than the 550-acre Brownsea Island which sits in the middle of Poole harbour, surrounded by shipping lanes and pleasure boats. It is owned by the National Trust and, between March and October, you can visit by hopping onto the island's small passenger launch which leaves from Sandbanks. If you need to park your 'van you may be lucky, as we were, and find a side street. Otherwise there is a pay-and-display car park beside the beach, about half a mile from the ferry stop, with no height-restriction barriers. Motorcaravans are charged the same rate as cars. It is not worth using the car park by the ferry point as you are only allowed a maximum stay of one hour – nowhere near enough time in which to fully explore Brownsea Island.
The National Trust bought Brownsea in 1962 and has now leased the northern part to the Dorset Wildlife Trust which has turned this part of the island into a nature reserve. We met Chris Thain, the Reserve Manager, and he gave us a look around at the various areas and hides. The first looked out over the lagoon (a semi-artificial feature). As Chris told us: "The land was originally reclaimed from the sea and used to graze cattle. But, as the years went by and the farmland was no longer tended, the drainage was not maintained so the area flooded, which made it perfect for the birds!" More recently, the National Trust has repaired the sea wall to ensure that the lagoon is safe from the waters of the harbour beyond.
The lagoon is a popular place for avocets (black- and-white wading birds with a long, up-curved beak): 25 percent of the world's population of that breed stops on the island. Brownsea is also a popular stopover for black tailed godwits (another wading bird, but large and with a very long, straight bill and long legs).
While looking through our binoculars, sitting in one of the hides overlooking the lagoon, Chris pointed out the man-made gravel islands which make ideal nesting sites, especially for terns. There, he told us, you can get closer to the birds than anywhere else in the UK.
Brownsea is, perhaps, most well known for its population of red squirrels, and we soon spotted some at a feeding station near the information office.
"Red Squirrels have just come out top of a national survey of Britain's best-loved animal," said Chris as we watched another one come up to feed. As the grey squirrel has never reached the island, Brownsea is one of the best places in the southern part of the UK to see them. But there is more to Brownsea than birds and red squirrels and, as Chris pointed out, "even if you don't see one, you won't leave feeling disappointed." He's right. I found the wood ants' habitat fascinating. Chris explained to us how they bask in the sun to get warm, then go underground to spread the heat around. Usually there are around 200,000 ants per nest.
To get over to Brownsea, you have to pay to use the ferry, then a landing charge (National Trust Members are exempt from this). Admission to the nature reserve costs &'163;2 but children aged under 12 get in free.
Once back on dry land at Sandbanks, it was time to jump back in the 'van. At Sarah's suggestion we set off to catch the Bramble Bush Bay chain ferry from here to South Haven Point, just across the harbour, on the way to our next nature site. When we boarded the ferry I felt rather sorry for those in line behind us as we had to pull the Tempo up beside a double decker bus and, as the traffic lanes are narrow and the bus was wide, we ended up blocking half a lane! After disembarking, we drove along the winding roads around the area, towards Wareham and found the Tempo surprisingly nippy when tackling long inclines.
Our next stop was the Arne RSPB site, in Stoborough. The car park there has no vehicle restrictions or marked bays and charges are &'163;4 for all-day parking or &'163;2 for two hours. So, having parked and paid we were treated to a talk about the area from senior warden Mike Trubridge, after which we were free to explore. Arne is the only place where you can see all six types of reptile that are native to the UK, "…and I'll bet you want to know what they all are, too!" said Mike, probably regretting having mentioned the fact. The adder, smooth snake, grass snake, sand lizard, common lizard and slow worm all reside within the park. Arne is also known for its population of avocets and dartford warblers (a small, dark, long-tailed bird) in addition to other species of birds, mammals, moths, and butterflies (1124 in total), and almost 500 types of flowering plant.
Sarah and I took the Long Trail, which offered a great view across to Poole harbour, and all the birdlife thereabouts. While walking we came across a sika deer that was busy searching the fauna and found that it was quite happy to let us approach quite closely.
No visit to Dorset is complete without a trip to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. These are in a coastal area of great beauty, with the natural cove of the former and the latter's archway offering a striking backdrop to the blue sea. At the base of the hill leading down to the cove is a caf้, and the natural pebble beach there extends right around the cove. It's a perfect spot in which to relax.
Durdle Door is a breathtaking place. The arch of rock, which runs parallel to the shoreline, was created through natural erosion. We stopped here while I fired up the Tempo's three-burner hob, put the kettle on and made us both a cuppa, which we drank while we looked out to sea. Then it was time to head back to the campsite, and settle down for the night.

Extract from an article in the June 2008 issue