Walking In Poole

Poole has a lot to offer for residents or visitors wishing to walk in the area. The diverse landscape offers beautiful beaches, open countryside, heathland, nature reserves, formal parks and gardens and an interesting town centre.

Maps for the walks listed below can be obtained by emailing Transportation Services. You can also check out the Walks 4 Softies website which has some good walking routes in Poole.

• The Bourne Valley Greenway
• The Stour Valley Way
• The E9
• The Castleman Trailway
• The Cockle Trail

The Bourne Valley Greenway

This is a shared use route which is mainly off-road and links Canford Heath to the seafront in Bournemouth. It passes through a green corridor which includes heathland, nature reserve and gardens.

The Stour Valley Way

This is a 64-mile long-distance walk which passes through Poole and follows the River Stour from the sea at Christchuch to it source at Stourhead.

The E9

This long-distance walk between Dover and Plymouth is routed along the beach in Poole and links both to the continent via Poole Ferry Port and the South West Coast Path via the chain ferry between the Sandbanks Peninsular and Studland.

The Castleman Trailway

This route follows much of the disused Southampton to Dorchester railway line. It provides a pleasant off-road link between Upton Country Park in Poole and Wimborne and passes through the centre of Broadstone and at one point runs alongside Delph Woods. For those wishing to go further the route continues on to Ringwood and beyond.

The Cockle Trail

This walk around the Old Town part of Poole and takes approximately 1 1/2 hours. The trail was opened in 1998 to celebrate the 750th anniversary of Poole's first charter. Walkers can follow the numbered brass plates set into the ground. The start of the walk (no. 1) is at the Fish Shambles on Poole Quay.