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Poole
Coastal town in Dorset, England

Poole

Poole is a coastal town, seaport on the south coast of England and civil parish in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England.

Plan a trip to Poole→From Bristol

The town is 21 miles (34 km) east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. The town had an estimated population of 143,418 in 2024, making it the second-largest town in the ceremonial county of Dorset. Together with Bournemouth and Christchurch, the conurbation has a total population of 400,196 as of the 2021 census.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Brownsea Island

    Poole Harbour, BH13 7EE (by ferry from Poole Quay or Sandbanks), brownseaisland@nationaltrust.org.uk.

  2. 02
    Kingston Lacy

    Wimborne Minster, BH21 4EA, kingstonlacy@nationaltrust.org.uk.

  3. 03
    Lighthouse
  4. 04
    Upton Country Park

    It has a surrounding woodland with many footpaths.

  5. 05
    Poole Museum

    A maritime museum, gallery and cultural centre owned by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, with lots of local information and history, well worth a visit.

Do

Things to do

Kite flying. From the quay, when facing the water turn left and walk for about half a mile until you reach a park. This is known as Baiter Park and is very close to Poole Park. On a good day, the kites will probably be visible from afar. In the summer, there are fireworks displays alternately in Bournemouth and Poole. Every Tuesday evening from April to September, motorbike enthusiasts converge on Poole.

  1. 01
    Jet Ski Safaris

    40 Salterns Way, Poole, BH14 8JR, info@jetskisafaris.co.uk.

  2. 02
    Tower Park

    Indoor waterpark, movie theatre, various restaurants, and bingo.

Eat

Where to eat

Most restaurants are along the quay, but there are a number of great eateries further into the Old Town.

  1. 01
    Storm

    16 High St, BH15 1BP, enquiries@stormfish.co.uk.

  2. 02
    Tandoori Nights

    50 High St, BH15 1BT, russell-c@hotmail.com.

  3. 03
    Branksome Beach

    Branksome Beach Pinecliff Road Branksome Chine BH13 6LP (at the foot of Pinewood Road, looking out over Poole Bay), enquiries@branksomebeach.co.uk.

  4. 04
    The Guildhall Tavern

    15 Market Street BH15 1NB (overlooking the Guildhall),.

  5. 05
    The Courtyard Tea Rooms

    48a High St, BH15 1BT,.

How locals move

Getting around Poole the local way

  • Get inDaily ferry services from Poole Harbour run to Cherbourg in France as well as Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands.

From Wikivoyage: Poole, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Dietmar Rabich (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.