The Blue Flag Sandbanks Beach in Poole is the area’s final beach and has a reputation as one of the country’s best beaches. The Sandbanks peninsula sits in the mouth of Poole Harbour with a beach on one side. It has a prom running behind the beach, while across the road is a line of shops and restaurants and Poole Harbour.
How to get to Sandbanks Beach
Sandbanks Beach is 3.7 miles from Bournemouth along the prom. (The prom doesn’t quite go the whole way, the final half a mile is along Banks Road.) By car, it is a 5 mile drive along W Cliff Road/The Avenue/Haven Road/Banks Road. By bus, the 50 Breezer bus between Bournemouth and Swanage stops on Banks Road in Sandbanks. There is a chainlink ferry across the mouth of Poole Harbour linking Sandbanks to Studland.
Access
The beach can be accessed through the car park. On foot, there a couple of paths running from Bank Road to the prom. The prom here in not connected to the main prom which runs round the rest of the bay; there is an area of up-market beachfront housing in the middle.
Parking
Sandbanks Car Park is right next to the beach. It may be large (532 spaces) but finding a space in summer can be a mission and it’s not uncommon for there the be a tailbacks in the road as people queue to get into the car park. Fees are seasonal, costing £1.50 for and hour in winter and £2.80 in summer. Further Details can be found here. There is roadside parking available on Banks Road. Charges here are the same as in the car park.
Beach
A wide expanse of golden sand, lined with a prom and backed with a bank of grassy sand dunes.
Food and Drink
Rockwater
2023 has seen a takeover of the beachside catering facilities by Rockwater. There is a restaurant with with indoor and outdoor seating.
Plus two kiosks, one either side. Both have similar menus (drinks, snacks and ice cream), except the one on the left also sells a range of seafood options.
Opposite the beach on the other side of Banks Road is a row of shops and restaurants with more dining options. Rick Stein – Sandbanks is obviously renowned for its seafood but also offers a Goan vegetable curry as a vegetarian option. Caff is a café on Banks Road, which serves breakfast and sandwiches etc.
If you’re feeling flush, there are more dining options in some of the Sandbanks hotels. For example, The Point at The Haven Hotel, offers spectaculars views, a menu so pretentious I had to Google some of the words, with prices to match.
Toilets
There is a toilet block between the prom and the car park.
Other Facilities
- Saltwater Sauna
- Dog wash
- Mini golf
- Drinking water
- Showers
- Children’s play area
- Volleyball nets
- Barbecues
Lifeguards
The Sandbanks Beach Lifeguard tower is manned from 10 am until 6 pm between 1st April and 24th September.
Sandbanks Beach for Children
Sandbanks Beach is ideal for children. It’s a beautiful sandy beach and there’s plenty of activities to keep kids entertained, including a play area and crazy golf course behind the beach. Crazy Golf is open from April until October and costs £7.50 for adults (£5.50 for children).
Across the road, there is also the opportunity to do watersports in Poole Harbour. Land and Wave and Poole Harbour Watersports offers kayaking, paddleboarding and windsurfing lessons and equipment hire. Poole Harbour Watersports also has a kids club during the Easter and Summer Holidays.
Dogs
Dogs are not permitted on Sandbanks Beach between May and September. There is a dog friendly beach area at the west of Sandbanks beach near Haven Point.
I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.
- Updated: July 2023
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