Poole Accommodation

A popular day trip from Poole is to Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour
Several boats run trips to Brownsea Island and around Poole Harbour
You can book tickets at Poole Quay itself
Check times and tides to make sure your trip fits in with your plans
Sea angling trips are also available from Poole Quay
Poole's ferry terminal is easy to reach from the main roads into the town

Poole Harbour Brownsea Island Ferries to Jersey Channel Islands & France

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.

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

Brownsea Island Dorset UK

Brownsea Island is the largest in Poole Harbour and the nearest to the mainland. It is owned by the National Trust who runs it as a publicly accessible island with walks through woodland and heathland. The island is known to have been inhabited since 500 BC. However, it is most famous as being the location for the first ever Boy Scout Camp in 1907 that kicked off the whole movement.

The island is particularly noted for its wildlife. It one of the last remaining places in southern England where you can still see native red squirrels. They are able to survive here as grey squirrels were never introduced here and thankfully haven't managed to colonise it. The best time to spot them is in Spring and Autumn around sunrise and sunset

Dorset Wildlife Trust also manages a reserve area to the north of the island. The reserve is an excellent birdwatching location where you can see breeding common and sandwich terns, yellow-legged gulls, grey herons, little egrets in the saline lagoon. Other habitats include saltmarsh, reedbed, two freshwater lakes, alder carr, pine woodland, deciduous woodland and an arboretum.

You can only access the island by boat so without transport the island is a peaceful getaway. The boat operators listed below run regular services. Check the links right for more information.

Boat Trips Poole Quay

From Poole Quay you can pick up boat trips over to the islands in Poole Harbour, particularly Brownsea Island. The following ferry companies run services from Poole: Brownsea Island Ferries Ltd. Boat trips from Poole Quay and Sandbanks to Brownsea Island, Wareham and around Poole Harbour. Tel: 01929 462383

Blue Line Cruises. Boat trips from Poole Quay to view Studland Bay, Old Harry Rocks and Swanage. Tel: 0800 0960695.

Dorset Belles. Boat trips from Poole Quay to Bournemouth, Isle of Wight, Swanage and Purbeck Coast. Tel: 01202 558550

Greenslades Pleasure Boats. Boat trips from Poole Quay to Brownsea Island, Wareham and around Poole Harbour. Tel: 01202 669955. Check the links right for more information.

Cross-Channel Ferries Poole Ferries to Jersey

Poole has a cross-channel ferry port that links the UK with France. Both Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries run regular services from Poole throughout the year. The Ferry Terminal is easily accessible via the A350 dual carriageway that takes you around Poole. Follow the signposts to the Ferry Terminal which lies south west of the town centre.

Brittany Ferries run daily services to Cherbourg in France. You can take a high speed ferry crossing which takes around two hours or the more leisurely cruise ferry taking between four to six hours. Click the link right for more information and current timetables.

Condor Ferries run "Fast Ferry" services from Poole to St Malo in France and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey between March and October. They are also the only ferry operator that run services where you can take a car to the Channel Islands.

Click the links right for more information and current timetables.

Ferries to the Studland Peninsula

There is a regular ferry service from Sandbanks to Shell Bay on the Studland Peninsula. It's a quick shortcut avoiding a twenty five mile drive around the coast to Studland, Swanage and the Purbeck Peninsula.

The Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company run daily services throughout the year - weather permitting. The ferries can take pedestrians, cyclists, motorbikes, cars, light vans, camper vans, buses and coaches. There is no advance booking system so you just have to turn up and wait. In busy periods this does mean you may have to queue.

Check the weblink right for up-to-date information on prices and timetables.

Ferry Office, Shell Bay, Studland, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 3BA. Tel: 01929 450203. Fax: 01929 4504983.