East Dorset: Exploring Bugden's Copse

The following Wilts and Dorset buses come through Verwood:

X6 Poole - Ringwood

97 Ringwood - Fordingbridge

324 Cranborne - Bournemouth.

Car park at the Hub

[1] From the Hub walk past the Police Station on your left to the main road, Station Road. Turn right here, passing Verwood Surgery and continue up Station Road as far as Manor Road.

[2] Turn right down Manor Road, crossing the road at a convenient opportunity.

[3] Very shortly you will come to Howard Road on your left. (Plants cover the Howard Road sign) Turn into Howard Road and continue walking straight ahead. The road changes from tarmac to an unmade surface and then a short path leads you to Vicarage Road. 

[4] Turn right and then left to cross the road and go into Copse Road. Continue past several houses to the end and through the entrance to Bugden's Copse.

[5] Take the structured path which goes off on the left and follow it through the woods on a clockwise route. It turns right and further on the path passes through a wooden fence. Continue to follow the path, turning right. A bit further on, at a little crossroads of paths, turn right again.

[6] Go straight over the next path junction. You can see the back of  Verwood Leisure over on the left. Walk back to where you entered Bugden's Copse. Re-trace your steps until you are back on Station Road.

[7] After a parade of shops, turn left by trees up the footpath beside the veterinary surgery and into Jenner Close, turning right to return to the Hub.

A. Bugden's Copse

This is a remnant of the ancient forest of 'Fayre Wood' from which the local town of Verwood derives its name. In olden days the trees were felled for timber and coppiced for products such as thatching spars, hurdles and charcoal. These traditional uses and forms of management have helped to shape the woodland over centuries and as a result produced a wonderfully diverse habitat for plants, insects and animals living there. It is a site of Special Scientific Interest because of its outstanding wildlife.

B. Verwood Leisure Centre

Lifestyle in Verwood is the name of the newly merged Leisure Centre, Hub and Potterne Park. The Leisure Centre offers a range of indoor sporting and fitness facilities, including spinning rooms, badminton, table tennis, trampolining and martial arts.

C. The Hub

Lifestyle in Verwood is the name of the newly merged Leisure Centre, Hub and Potterne Park, which all together offer an extensive range of sport, leisure and entertainment to the local community. It is run by the charity Verwood Arts and Leisure Association (VALA)

The Hub offers fitness classes and courses,  for both adults and children and is Verwood's main centre for entertainment, including dance, cinema, shows, fairs and parties. Local groups perform here such as the Verwood Concert Brass Band.