Any beach recs for Poole?

[mcframe]

We might make it over to Poole next week - aiming for a mix of moorings/anchor/marina for a couple of days.

Any suggestions for good places near:
(a) beaches
(b) provisioning stops.

Have children and trusty WB8 dinghy - obviously, there is Studland outside, but I've never paid much attention to inside on previous visits - a visit to Brownsea is planned.

TIA

 

[BlueSkyNick]

In your boat with twin keels, there are dozens of places to anchor in shallow water.

You can get ashore and use the small beach at Pottery Pier on the western end of Brownsea, and its a pleasant walk to the east (30 mins for grown ups)

Studland is a good beach if you want go there by boat, easy enough, but nothing within the harbour, AFAIK.

Provisioning is best if you go into Poole Town Quay and walk through to the main street just a block inshore.

 

[strakeryrius]

Beaches - well there are miles and miles of them - all golden sand. And a couple of miles around the coast is Swanage with more lovely beaches. Studland is usually the favourite as it has mooring buoys and only Swanage has any more, everywhere else you will have to anchor. Plus its less rolly when the wind is from the SW, so more comfortable.

If you want a quick provisioning stop there is a Tesco Express two minutes walk from the Dolphin Quay YH on Poole Quay, or there is a big Asda 5 mins cab ride from the quay.

 

[Seajet]

Isn't the fuel & provisions barge still there, just on the NE side of Brownsea, then ?

Haven't made it there this year; this barge was / is really useful, for fuel, water, basic food, and booze !

 

[Tranona]

Several good landing points - Pottery Pier already mentioned plus Arne and Rockley. Not particlularly good beaches as small when tide in and muddy when tide out but Pottery Pier gives you access to Brownsea and Arne to the Nature Reserve.

For provisioning little alternative to Dolphin Quay which is walking to town centre including a full service Sainsburys, Aldi and a Sainsbury local. If you are going to spend a night in a marina suggest Poole Yacht Club just past ferry terminal. Similar price to Dolphin but nicer, quiet, good clubhouse and 10 minutes walk across the bridge to Poole Quay. Bonus of nice quiet little beach just outside the back gate (but don't tell anybody!)

Enjoy your time in Poole.

 

[jimi]

Another vote for pottery pier! If the weather is good Swanage is excellent for children.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Have a look on Google Earth - there's a few beaches, including Hamworthy (just past the Ferry Terminal and Poole Yacht Club). A lot of them are rather grubby though unless they get scoured by the tide. Hamworthy Park behind the beach has a lot of kite flying usually and, while there's not much beach this side of the peninsular, you could hang around Sandbanks and watch the kite and wind surfers, or possibly even take the ground if you can find a clear spot and then walk ashore. If you can do that you can walk through the Car Park and come out on the beach on the other side. Investigate carefully though as I've know idea what the bed's like further out. Near the shore it's firm mud and you're pretty safe to take the ground and walk ashore if you can find a space that is.

Also look for Sainsbury's in Newfoundland Drive if need a lot of shopping and you go ashore at Poole Quay. It's a nicer walk for the most part than Asda and you don't get a load of spotty teenage grockles in there as it's not obvious unless you know where it is. The easiest and most pleasant way to get there on foot is to walk along the front past the Haven Marina until you get to the beginning of Baiter Park. Turn left up Furnell Road and then keep left at roundabout which is only 150 yards up the road). Walk along Newfoundland Drive for a couple of hundred yards and you'll see the sign for Sainsbury's. I'd guess it's 15 or 20 minutes walk at the most.

 

[bignick]

You don't say what you draw - if like me you have a deep fin then you are very restricted as to where you can actually visit... Deep fin / Bilge or Lifting? (Lifting is perfect in here!!)

 

[duncan]

What you draw and how comfortable you are with 4" below the keel will dictate a lot but in general -

1. For Brownsea you have 3 anchorages appropriate to different winds - Pottery Pier, North of Furzey (just south of the withies is still a good depth it's getting in and out that needs care!) and Blood Alley (South of Brownsea and find the deeper area with your sounder). You can't land on Furzey despite the nice looking sand.
2. For the kids and a bit more peace, tuck into the pool between the West of the North part of Long Island and Arne Point. Excellent beach and playing area on the NW side of Long Island, and good walks and a beach on Arne Point. Go further into the pool to anchor then use dingy. The normal problem in August is that those in the know will settle in here for weeks on end for the peace.
3. I suspect from you post you would split these with a night in the marina for a touch of Poole hospitality and provisioning.

 

[Daedelus]

Should you be a member of the RNLI then you could wander along to their HQ and use their bar and restaurant where you can get a drink (or alright, several drinks) and a decent meal at a reasonable price with an excellent view over part of the harbour.

The RNLI make much of the fact that by dining with them you help their funds and I always feel a virtuous glow as I order another beer.

 

[yellowspinnaker]

The NW side of Long island is no longer available. The island's new owner (well fairly new, anyway) does not welcome uninvited visitors and there are numerous notices to that effect. If you land there you may get a visit from someone who will ask you to go.

Nice spot to anchor, though. My wife and I do it frequently.

 

[duncan]

The NW side of Long island is no longer available. The island's new owner (well fairly new, anyway) does not welcome uninvited visitors and there are numerous notices to that effect. If you land there you may get a visit from someone who will ask you to go.

Nice spot to anchor, though. My wife and I do it frequently.

Thanks for that update - will admit it was 2 years since I was last on there. Shame for the kids as it was well used by them with tents and canoes etc despite being only very small, and was the only place for such activities in the area.

 

[mcframe]

Thanks all - printed out and noted - plenty of ideas.

We've bilge keels drawing 1m.

Coincidentally the first owner of our boat kept her in Poole Harbour 20 years ago, so I hope she remembers where to go ;-)

IOW Steam Fair on Sunday (from Ryde), then Yarmouth/Lymington/Keyhaven and Westward ho! for Trinidad^WPoole.

 

[mcframe]

TVM - Pottery Pier was a great find:

With 1m draught we *just* touched down for about an hour at LW, but were able to circumnavigate Brownsea without any problems.

Had a bit of a Jack Sparrow moment when I took the dinghy over to the town quay, tied up *right* in front of the office and wandered in:
Me: "Is it OK if I leave my boat there for 5 mins to buy some milk?"
Them: "What boat?"
Me: "*That* one"
Them: "What boat?"
<looks out of office> sees top 3" of O/B* and coil of rope on cleat
Me: "Err, it's my tender!"
Them: <stands up> "Oh, that's OK, any longer and we have our short stay rates"
Me: "Thanks - we'll be in tomorrow night with the mothership"


A longer trip is on the cards for next year, but we broke several family (own-boat) records:
(1) Past the Needles
(2) 6 hour (32 mile passage) Lymington-Studland
(3) First >100 miles family-week cruise - including two 2-night non-sailing

Moving average of >6 knots for Poole-Cowes, aided by tide** and Parasail (I'm getting the hang of rigging the pole single-handed), and in the spirit of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakaway_music , I've decided that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLZl6R7JGCc on the 1MC (ipod & cockpit speakers) is my "Kite-up" tune ;-)

Another (bigger) boat under kite passed us off Solent Bank, but they were trimming, and didn't have Mum and Dad dancing in the cockpit being watched by bemused 4 and 6 year olds ;->

* Next time I'll stick the sail on the WB8 for extra "panache"
** Plug: http://www.winningtides.co.uk/pages/winningtides.htm - not just for racers, but also handy for tubby family bilge-keeled cruisers.

 

[duncan]

ah - I think we passed you anchored there on midday Thursday 1st? Definitely the right place to be in those conditions.

Headed through the alley between Brownsea and Fursey (very slowly of course!) heading to Weymouth....not many boats leaving the harbour that day.

 

[alant]

We might make it over to Poole next week - aiming for a mix of moorings/anchor/marina for a couple of days.

Any suggestions for good places near:
(a) beaches
(b) provisioning stops.

Have children and trusty WB8 dinghy - obviously, there is Studland outside, but I've never paid much attention to inside on previous visits - a visit to Brownsea is planned.

TIA

Back of Brownsea is nice, no disturbance apart from daytime local 'trip' boats each half hour. Blood alley, less disturbance & closer to Brownsea, still at the back.

 

[mcframe]

ah - I think we passed you anchored there on midday Thursday 1st? Definitely the right place to be in those conditions.

Headed through the alley between Brownsea and Fursey (very slowly of course!) heading to Weymouth....not many boats leaving the harbour that day.

That sounds right - there were some Broadblue cats doing a photoshoot the night before - we ended up spending two nights on the town quay before the westerly came in. Family enjoyed getting the bus round to the beach at Sandbanks while I took the opportunity to consider the East Looe exit route...