Poole Accommodation

Poole's a thriving town with a good mix of traditional and modern attractions
Poole's busy shopping town centre
Weekly markets in the centre of Poole
See the famous Poole Pottery being made on the Quay
Poole's historic Old Town starts at Poole Quay
Miles of clean sandy beaches around Poole Harbour
Shady gardens and parks line Poole's coast
The gorgeous Parkstone heathland golf course in the heart of Poole

Poole Tourist Information

Although it's difficult to tell where Bournemouth ends and Poole starts, Poole does have a different feel to the family seaside atmosphere of Bournemouth. Poole is all sailing, watersports, sandy beaches, roller blading and jogging along the beach esplanades and sitting sipping drinks on the Quay while taking in the view of some luxury cruisers in the harbour.

Apart from The Old Town that retains a strong sense of its seventeenth century heyday, Poole is increasingly expanding with a variety of modern retail centres including Dorset's largest indoor shopping centre, The Dolphin Shopping Centre and the developing array of shops and discount outlets on Poole Quay.

Featured Dorset Accommodation

Britannia Bournemouth Hotel - East Overcliff

Luxury Bournemouth hotel located close to East Cliff. Large conference & banqueting suite, family friendly, relaxed restaurant, leisure facilities

£39 to £145 Rates from

Poole Tourist Guide Dorset

Poole Welcome Centre is your first port of call for tourist information. It's on the Quay and you can find all sorts of information including the Cockle Trail leaflet which is a walk through the Old Town, marked by brass cockles set into the pavement, past historic buildings and sites that were scenes of all sorts of incidents. Pick up the leaflet for a brief history of the different locations which help bring its history to life.

Poole Welcome Centre, Poole Tourism, Enefco House, Poole Quay, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HJ. Tel: 01202 253253.

Shopping in Poole

For shopping, the Quayside development is quickly growing with a variety of retail outlets, some with designer brands at discount prices.

If you walk further north from the Quay and the Old Town you'll come to Poole's town centre for shopping where there are avenues and indoor shopping centres with a wealth of independent shops and high street names. You can also catch the weekly markets held in the centre of the shopping area of Poole.

The biggest shopping centre in Poole is the Dolphin Shopping Centre. It has over one hundred stores and ample paid parking nearby. It's also open seven days per week. Check the link right for more information.

Poole Harbour Watersports Poole Beaches

The coastline around Poole is surrounded by a variety of beaches that are predominantly fine sand and include Blue Flag beaches with safe stretches of sea for swimming. Sandbanks beach is the longest stretch of sandy beach and joins Bournemouth beach.

Poole Harbour is an ideal location for all types of watersports. The naturally formed harbour provides ideal conditions for sailing, windsurfing, kite surfing, wakeboarding, canoeing and kayaking.

Poole Quay & Poole Pottery

Poole Quay is the centre for tourist attractions - both old and new. Its tall and varied buildings have retained the historic character of a seventeenth century port.

The Quay itself is great for a promenade in the sun imagining sailing one of the luxury cruisers made or moored at the quayside. There is a good choice of bars, restaurants and cafes popping up in both the historic buildings lining the Quay or in the newer developments springing up along the water's edge. No visit to Poole would be complete without taking a look at how the world famous Poole Pottery is made and hand painted.

In the Old Town that lies behind the Quay you'll find plenty of beautiful historic buildings from Poole's seventeenth century trading heyday. Follow the Cockle Trail to find out more about historic Poole or visit one of the museums clustered in the medieval buildings in the Old Town.

Poole Quay is also the location for a variety of events throughout the year. Every Tuesday from 6pm in April to September is the Dream Machines event, the biggest weekly motorcycle event in the UK. Other events include live music and street entertainment and car rallies. There's a good choice of bars, restaurants, cafes dotted around Poole Quay and the old town.

Poole Harbour & Ferries

Poole Harbour is the second largest harbour in the world after Sydney in Australia. It is dotted with eight islands that are only accessible by boat. The most famous of these is Brownsea Island where Baden-Powell first started the Scout movement. You can pick up boat trips to the islands from Poole Quay. The majority of these will take you to Brownsea Island but boat trips also include Poole Harbour and the Studland Peninsula to see sights such as Old Harry Rocks.

Poole also has a cross-channel ferry terminal with services to France, Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Fast ferry crossings make these some of the faster Channel services from the UK.

Golf Courses in Poole

Poole is well endowed with golf courses, both in the heart of Poole and in the surrounding countryside. Naturally most of the courses in the area are based on heathland for which Dorset is particularly special. All courses welcome visitors and offer a wide range of golfing challenges and experiences. Check the weblinks right for green fees, dress codes and handicap certificate requirements.

Just inland from the beach is the traditional heathland course of Parkstone Golf Club. It's a beautiful 18 hole course which is also an important wildlife resource providing valuable habitat for sand lizards, Dartford warblers, silver studded blue butterflies and a range of specialist heathland plants.

Bulbury Woods Golf Club is at Lytchett Minster to the east of Poole. It has an 18 hole parkland course surrounded by ancient woodland with views out over the Purbeck countryside.

Broadstone (Dorset) Golf Club is to the north of Poole. It's an extensive 18 hole heathland course that was first established in 1898 by Lord Wimborne. Also north of Poole is Knighton Heath Golf Club, another 18th hole golf course where the fairways are lined with heathland.