The Poole Harbour Trails comprise six linear walks that enable a complete circuit to be made of

Poole Harbour Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley ( ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being th ...

on the south coast of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, which is said to be the second largest

natural harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

in the world.''Working for a round harbour trail''
at www.pooleharbourtrails.org.uk. Retrieved 6 Jan 2017.

Description

Poole Harbour is "a national treasure and provides access to some stunning countryside and woodland" as well as "wonderful views". The harbour and its environs are rich in wildlife and its towns and villages are "set in some of the best walking areas in South West England." The trails consist of six linear walks making a complete circuit of this vast harbour. The walks are

waymark Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail. A blaz ...

ed at key junctions. In addition there are 13 circular walks based on a viewing point or other point of interest.''Circular Walks''
at www.pooleharbourtrails.org.uk. Retrieved 6 Jan 2017. Leaflets for each walk may be downloaded from the Poole Harbour Trails website.Poole Harbour Trails Community Group

Linear walks

The six linear walks are:''Poole Harbour Trails''
* Walk 1 -

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

to Greenlands, 7.5 miles * Walk 2 - Greenlands to

Norden Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to: Places England * Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane * Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle * Norden, Greater Manchester, a vill ...

Park and Ride, 7 miles * Walk 3 - Norden Park and Ride to Wareham, 7.5 miles * Walk 4 - Wareham Quay to Sandford, 7.5 miles * Walk 5b - Sandford to Turlin Moor, 8.5 miles * Walk 5 - Future hopes for Walk 5 Sandford to Turlin Moor via Cordite Way and a new bridge * Walk 6 -

Turlin Moor Turlin Moor is a suburb of Poole in Dorset, England, located between Hamworthy and Upton, Dorset, Upton. Turlin Moor is host to Hamworthy railway station. The two railway bridges at the end of the estate on Blandford Road form the meeting point ...

Poole Quay Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 201 ...

, 7 miles

Circular walks

The 13 circular walks are: * Walk 1a -

Quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

and

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

, Poole, 3.8 miles, easy, 1hr 20 min * Walk 1b - Poole Quay,

Upton Country Park Upton House is a country house in the grounds of Upton Country Park on the northwestern shoreline of Holes Bay in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. It is owned by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, BCP Council. Histo ...

and

Holes Bay Holes Bay is an intertidal embayment off Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. It lies mostly within the Borough of Poole and is close to Poole town centre. It is an important wetland bird haven. Location Holes ...

, 5.5 miles, 3 hrs * Walk 1c -

Lilliput Lilliput is an island nation in Jonathan Swift's novel ''Gulliver's Travels''. Lilliput may also refer to: Geography * Lilliput (townland), a townland in County Westmeath, Ireland * Lilliput, Dorset, a district in the town of Poole in Dorset, ...

Footpaths, View Point and Evening Hill, 2.5 miles, 1-2 hrs * Walk 2a - Greenlands Farm,

Agglestone Rock Agglestone Rock, also known as the Devil's Anvil, is a sandstone block of about 400 tonnes weight, perched on a conical hill, approximately from the village of Studland, south Dorset. Formerly an 'anvil' shape with a flat top, it fell onto one ...

and

Studland Studland is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England. The village is located about north of the town of Swanage, over a steep chalk ridge, and south of the South East Dorset conurbation at Sandbanks, from which it ...

, 4.5 miles, 2.5 hrs * Walk 2b - Studland Heath,

Shell Bay

Shell Bay is a small bay in ...

and Harbour's Edge, 6 miles, 3.5 hrs * Walk 3a - Middlebere, Sharford Bridge and Wytch Farm, 4.5 miles, 2.5 hrs * Walk 3b - Middlebere Farm and Sharford Bridge, 2.5 miles, 1.5 hrs * Walk 3c - Middlebere, Hartland Moor, Scotland and Sharford Bridge, 6 miles, 3 hrs * Walk 4a - Wareham station and

West Mills West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

, 4.5 miles, 2.5 hrs * Walk 4b - Wareham station,

Wareham Forest Wareham Forest is an area of countryside in Dorset, England, consisting of open heathland, including Decoy Heath and Gore Heath, and plantations of conifers such as Morden Heath and Bloxworth Heath. The site is managed by Forestry England fo ...

and Sika Trail, 4 miles, 2.5 hrs * Walk 4c - Wareham Quay and Rivers

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills and on the River Frome, south of Bath. The population of the parish was 28,559 in 2021. Frome was one of the largest tow ...

and Piddle, 4.5 miles, 2 hrs * Walk 4d - Wareham Quay and Wareham Walls, 1.5 miles, 1 hr * Walk 5a - Sandford and

Organford Organford is a hamlet in the county of Dorset, England. It is located just south of the A35 between Lytchett Minster and Slepe Slepe is a hamlet in the county of Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremon ...

, 5 miles, 3 hrs * Walk 6a -

Upton Heath Upton Heath is one of the largest remaining fragments of a heath that once stretched across central southern England from Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester to Christchurch, Dorset, Christchurch and beyond. It is now confined to an area immediate ...

and

Roman Road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

, 5 miles, 3 hrs * Walk 6b - Upton Country Park, Ham Common and Lytchett Bay, 7 miles, 3.5 hrs

References

Long-distance footpaths in Dorset Poole Harbour {{Dorset-geo-stub