The character of the Dorset Heaths contrasts strongly with its neighbouring natural regions. Undulating lowland heath with heather, pines and gorse alternates with exposed, open, large-scale farmland, woodland and scrub. Blocks of conifers form locally prominent landmarks. Apart from the major Poole-Bournemouth-Christchurch conurbation on the coast, much of the area is sparsely populated with scattered settlements and a few small villages and towns. Valleys are flat-bottomed and open with floodplain pastures. There is an outer perimeter of low, rolling hills marking the transition to chalk downland.Dorset Heaths at www.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 4 Sep 2013
