Poole & Sandbanks

Poole Town is an ancient sea port dominated by the picturesque natural harbour (Poole harbour), adjacent to Bournemouth in the county of Dorset on the South coast of England.

Poole is much older than Bournemouth with early settlements dating back to Roman times, primarily due to the safe haven provided by the natural harbour, one of the largest in the world.

In the 17th and 19th centuries Poole grew wealthy from its sea trade exporting wool all around the world and to this day Poole retains its maritime status with a cross-channel link to France and the Channel Islands, along with ship building, yachting marinas and the town is proud to host the new RNLI headquarters.

At Poole Quay you will find multi-million pound luxury motor cruisers mixing with traditional fishing trawlers and all the sights and sounds of a busy but pretty port.  You can take a passenger ferry for a trip around the natural harbour viewing the famous Brownsea Island with its red squirrel population and interesting bird life.  It also holds a historic connection to Lord Baden Powell and the International Scout Movement (Brownsea Island Camp 1907).  A statue to Baden-Powell can be found on Poole quayside and in the summer months hundreds of visitors watch the various events (motorcycle rallies, fireworks) while enjoying a refreshment or two at the numerous bars and cafés along the old port.

Poole has its arts culture too, being the home of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Lighthouse Arts Centre.  A short distance from the Quay is Poole Park where the many facilities on offer include a boating pool, tennis courts, lawn bowls and miniature golf, all within a peaceful park setting.

To the south of Poole harbour is the glorious Sandbanks peninsular, home to the rich and famous, but accessible to all with fine sandy beaches on both sides of the harbour inlet.  Here you can cross via the chain ferry to the Isle of Purbeck where beautiful beaches merge into a stunning coastline.  In July Sandbanks plays host to the British Beach Polo Championship and the hotels cater for beach parties with live bands and firework displays.

The beaches around Poole and the harbour itself are ideal playgrounds for those interested in water sports.  Various shops, sports schools and cafés service the active enthusiast summer or winter and Poole harbour is a great place to learn to windsurf or kitesurf.

Like its sister town Bournemouth, Poole is a charming mix of old and modern but has a serious maritime heritage.  This is the home of the luxury boat builder Sunseeker whose latest models can be seen in the various marinas and a day’s charter with champagne and sun-cream is a luxury not to be missed.