Knoll Beach Studland — Attraction in Studland

Loved visiting this beautiful beach which us locals call Studland. We went over as foot passengers on the chain ferry from Sandbanks (only £1 across as foot passengers, and free crossing back to Sandbanks). It was a stunning day and the ten minute ferry ride was great. The first beach you arrive at, which is where the ferry stops, is called Shell Bay. This beach is very close to the channel for all the boats entering / exiting Poole Harbour (2nd largest natural harbour in the world) and though swimming may look ok here, there is a very strong undercurrent that can easily drag you out, so personally i would advise walking along the beach further, until you reach the corner with the rocks in the water at the very least (when the tide is out its good for crabbing here!). This part of the beach, looking towards Studland, has shallow stretches created by sand banks, so when the tide goes out there are shallow pools of clear water that are great for children (supervised of course 😉) If you continue down the beach (a good mile to Studland) you will pass through a nudist beach on route, marked by signs, the majority sunbathe hidden in the dunes off the beach itself. Then further along, the beach becomes busy at Studland with views out across the sea towards Old Harry Rocks, to the right, and Sandbanks, across the channel to the left. Studland has an ice cream boat that plays a tune as it arrives 🤣 you can't miss it!! Also at Studland/Knoll Beach, you will find public toilets, cafe, take away food, ice creams and national trust gift shop! Here you will find Knoll Beach car park which is huge! Free parking for national trust members...or last time (a few years ago) I was there over £10 for the day. From the car park, behind the cafes etc you will find the 'dune walk'. This is a walk through the sand dunes over the nature reserve. Here Adders, Grass snakes, Smooth snakes and Sand Lizards can be found - all our native reptiles. It gets very hot in these sheltered dunes. Stick to the paths and see what you can see!! As children we would go spotting! BBQs are allowed on the purposefully placed Rocks at Studland, but only in this zone! Beach officials patrol the beach in their buggys- any issues can be reported to them. This is an award winning beach and absolutely beautiful.

Please respect the sea, stay hydrated and sun screened, watch the tides (and drifting a little in the sea if you are busy playing) and if with children make sure you are visible and attentive, as there are no landmarks/buildings along the beach to get your bearings and the sand dunes all look the same! I always recommend a wrist tag with your phone number on it, secured to your child, if your children are likely to wander, so they can be returned to you safely and easily identified by officials. Enjoy this...

National Trust owned beach that we found by accident when touring the coast. Looks like it can get very busy judging by the car park size but was a bit drizzly and very quiet when we went. It is a long and calm beach and you can walk some distance. Usual high standard NT facilities - toilets, showers, good wheelchair access (including ability to borrow the big wheeled ones for the beach). This is better than most any public beaches, and free parking for NT members always welcome! Cafe and shop were done out nicely, but standard NT affair - if you've been in one they are pretty much identical menus etc, and nothing special e.g. fish and chips for the beach location. This cafe was swarming with flies when we went and none of the staff seemed bothered that they were on the food and drink machines, etc. Dogs were also allowed into the cafe, which didn't help (I love dogs btw, but the smell of wet dog is not great when eating!) Very little else to do, though it looked like lots of organised activities on the water on a better day. The Discovery centre was also closed when we went (Saturday during peak summer season). Go for the beach/sea on a sunny day, or for a nice long beach walk on...

One of my favourite beaches. As a National Trust member you can park here all day free. There are several large car parks, just behind the beach. The beach has good facilities, toilets, cafe, shop etc. A tap to fill up your water bottles, so no need to buy plastic bottles. The beach itself is long and even on a busy day is rarely overcrowded, except for the bit nearest the facilities. If you walk along a bit further you will get more space around you. The beach is sandy and comfortable to walk on. One area is zoned for safe swimming, but I have never seen motorised water sports along this stretch of beach. Therefore all of it is safe for swimming. You get paddle boarders and canoeists, but nothing dangerous. The view across the bay is to Bournemouth in the north and the Old Harry rocks near Swanage in the south. The sea is clean and good for swimming. The sand underfoot makes it comfortable. The first part, near the facilities has often quite a bit of seaweed at the shoreline, but this disappears as you walk a bit further up the beach. The sea is very shallow initially, and you can walk out for a long way. This makes it safe for children. Highly...