Blackdown Woods surround the Hardy Monument. Photo: Bob Tinley CC-BY-SA-2.0

Woodland on Britain’s longest national trail will stay in public hands after the Forestry Commission sold the beauty spot to a county council.

Blackdown Woods in Dorset are the highest point on the Dorset Ridgeway and are on the route of the South West Coast Path.

The 117ha (289-acre) site surrounds the Hardy monument, erected in memory of Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Admiral Lord Nelson’s flag captain, to whom the words ‘Kiss me, Hardy,’ were uttered by the great sea lord before his death at the Battle of Trafalgar.

The woodland, in the Dorset area of outstanding natural beauty, was on the list of Forestry Commission assets for disposal and was put up for sale in three lots. Legal difficulties led to the withdrawal from sale and Dorset County Council raised £355,000 to buy the woods at the 11th hour.

Open Spaces Society general secretary Kate Ashbrook was at the celebrations in nearby Portesham on Saturday to mark the handover.

She said: “We are overjoyed that the woods are to remain in public ownership. Public access to this lovely area will be secure and Dorset County Council will manage the woods so as to protect their natural beauty and richness of wildlife in this spectacular Dorset landscape.

“We believe that our woods and forests need to be in public ownership to ensure that people can enjoy them, for all kinds of recreation.

“A private landowner can too easily revoke permissive rights and put up ‘keep out’ signs. We are fortunate here that Dorset County Council was able, albeit with difficulty, to raise the money.

“However, if the Government’s plans to flog off the forestry estate had gone ahead as threatened earlier this year, local authorities throughout England could not have raised the money to buy the countless woods and forests which would have gone on the market, particularly in the current climate.

“Much public access and opportunities for quiet enjoyment would have been lost.

“We are relieved that the Government did a u-turn on privatising the public forest estate so that it will remain in public ownership, but we must continue to be vigilant as the threat could return.

“We congratulate Dorset County Council and the organisations which contributed funds: Natural England, West Dorset District Council and the Patsy Wood Trust, on securing Blackdown Woods for the nation.”

West Dorset Tory MP and Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin was also at the event, along with representatives of the other bodies involved.

Blackdown Woods lie 5km (3 miles) north of the coast at Chesil Beach. The South West Coast Path stretches for 1,046km (650 miles) between Minehead and Poole Harbour.