Poole

Poole is in Dorset, on the south coast of England.

Get in

By train. Poole is about 2.5hrs from London with 2 trains per hour for most of the day.
By coach. There are coaches between Poole bus station and London about once an hour, via Bournemouth.
By road. From the east, take the M27 until it becomes the A31. Continue past Ringwood and follow the signs for Poole. From the west, come in on the A35.

In the summer, there are fireworks displays alternately in Bournemouth and Poole.
Every Tuesday evening from April to September, motorbike enthusiasts converge on Poole. Apparently there are sometimes as many as 1000 cycles and, of course, the pubs on the Quay do good business from them. A good opportunity to swap tales or see what everyone else is riding. All parking on the quay is reserved for motorbikes but there is a charge of £1 and a prize for the best bike.
Brownsea Island is a National Trust site, famous for its large population of red squirrels, and as the birthplace of the Scout Movement. The animals on the island are very tame and will happily wander up to you. It can be reached by boat from the quay but note that the price of the boat trip does not include admittance to the island.
Bournemouth is nearby and has other places to visit, such as the oceanarium.
MonkeyWorld, near Wareham, is about 30 minutes away by car.
Kingston Lacey is a large house and estate formerly owned by the Bankes family and donated to the National Trust in the 1980s. The house contains paintings, furniture and egyptian artefacts accumulated over 300 years. It also shows how wealthy families of that time lived.
The New Forest is about an hour away by car and very popular in the summer.

Kite flying. From the quay, when facing the water turn left and walk for about half a mile until you reach a park. On a good day, the kites will probably be visible from afar.

Most restaurants are along the quay.

There are lots of pubs along the quay and a little inland.

The National Trust website gives details of how to get to its sites and prices, eg Kingston Lacey.
The official Poole tourism web site gives further details of local events, etc.

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