Beaches in Dorset
The one-and-a-half kilometre long Hengistbury Head separates Poole Bay and Christchurch Bay and encloses Christchurch Harbour on its landward side.
Rockley Sailing School, Rockley Diving Centre and the Hobbie Cat Centre are active throughout the year and provide excellent tuition and some hire facilities. There is a small beach shop and café. Rockley sands is a friendly little beach which plays host to many water activities but still manages to keep its quiet, rural charm.
This is an excellent family beach with gently sloping sands and safe sheltered swimming. Activities on the water include sailing, windsurfing and diving. Canoe and pedalo hire is also available.
The beach is quieter than some of the others in Poole and is popular with locals. The water is clean and safe and the beach is an ideal place to visit with or without children.
Chesil Beach, Portland to Abbotsbury, Dorset
Chesil Beach is 18 miles (28 kilometres) long and, on average, 200 metres wide and rises to 14 metres height. It is a shingle tombolo connecting Portland to Abbotsbury and then continuing westwards to West Bay near Bridport. It is the largest tombolo in the UK.
Pebbles are graded in size from fist sized near Portland to pea sized at Bridport. The pebbles are a mix of flint and chert, with some quartzite pebbles from Buddleigh Salterton. The origin of the beach continues to be argued over with some proposing it is actually two beaches. The stretch from West Bay to Abbotsbury appears to have different characteristics to the stretch from Abbotsbury to Portland.
