The bay is protected from the prevailing winds and storms by Old Harry Rocks, the chalk headland that separates Studland from Swanage bay. This has allowed, over a period of approximately 600 years, a sandy beach to be deposited against the redend sandstone cliffs, at the south end of the bay, and the Reading and London clay formations at the north end of the bay. This deposition has led to the growth of a psammosere (sand dune system). The beach extends north, part way accros the mouth of Poole harbour.
Behind the sand dunes there is a large area of heathland, called Godlingston heath, and Poole harbour. There is a saline lake amoungst the dunes which was cut off from the sea by the development of the dunes. The lake is a haven for birds and other wildlife. Standing on a mound in the heath is the 400 ton, 17 ft high Agglestone, with no clues as to the stone's origin, other than the local myth that the devil threw it there from the Isle of Wight. The heath and harbour are home to Britain's largest onshore oil field, and British Petroleum's Wytch farm refinery is hidden amoungst a pine forest to the west of the heath. Studland and Godlingston heath have been a National Nature Reserve since 1946, and the site is on English Nature's list of "Spotlight Reserves", the 31 most important reserves in England. The site is also a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, part of the Purbeck Heritage Coast, and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The site is the only place in Britain which is home to all 7 native reptile species. The site is owned and managed by the National Trust, who clear scrub, keep the beach tidy, and carefully manage the millions of visitors the site gets each summer.
The area is just accros Poole harbour from the conurbation of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch. The 5 mile long beach is close enough to be convenient and accessible, but far enough to be free from the pollution and sewage associated with urban beaches. This and the carefull management by the national trust and calm shallow waters make it one of the most popular beaches in the country, and on hot summer weekends the beach fills up with thousands of people. The National Trust have restricted parking provision at the site to prevent overcrowding. A short northern stretch of the beach is reserved as a naturist beach.
The village, and beach were used as a training area before the D-Day landing in the Second World War. On top of Redend point, a small sandstone cliff which splits the beach in two at high tide, is Fort Henry. Built in 1943 by Canadian engineers, it is 90 ft long, with 3 ft thick walls and an 80 ft wide recessed observation slit. On April 18 1944, King George VI, General Sir Bernard Montgomery, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower, met here to observe the training troups and discuss the plans for the coming battle.