I took a boat trip around Europe’s largest natural harbour – it was beautiful

Growing up in Poole, Dorset, I visited Poole Quay regularly. The historic quayside is charming with 18th-century buildings and a quaint Old Town.

However, despite visiting the Quay on multiple occasions and being fortunate enough to have seen the stunning harbour from most viewpoints, I didn’t know visitors and residents could take a sightseeing cruise around it.

Poole is Europe’s largest natural harbour and is home to Brownsea Island; famous for its red squirrels; Studland Peninsula; famous for its four beaches; and Sandbanks; also known as “Britain’s Palm Beach”, a sought-after destination for holidaymakers and property developers.

So when I visited my family in Poole over the summer, a sightseeing boat trip to the Victorian seaside town of Swanage from Poole Quay sounded perfect.

We began our day on Poole Quay before boarding the boat to Swanage. The boat was surprisingly spacious with a full bar and toilets on board as well as indoor and outdoor seating.

The indoor seating included small tables to perch drinks and snacks on as well as plush, leather seats.

The boat trip included a live commentary which described key locations such as Brownsea Island, Studland Bay and the opening cliffs of the Jurassic Coast.

One personal highlight of the trip was seeing Old Harry Rocks up close. I had admired the rocks for years but seeing the chalk formations up close was truly magical.

While the rock formation is known as Old Harry Rocks, the name Old Harry refers to the stack which is furthest out to sea.

Over the years, the rock has eroded and become a lot smaller. Up until the late 19th century, Old Harry had a “wife” but the rock eventually fell into the sea due to erosion.

Up close, we could see more holes in the cliffs as well as people walking on top of the Isle of Purbeck.

The boat trip took roughly one hour from Poole Quay to Swanage and was fairly smooth despite the choppy waves.

We then spent five hours ashore where we got a bite to eat and explored some of Swanage’s boutique shops.

On the way back, the boat was almost empty so we sat on the upper deck to bask in the sun and enjoy the views.

A boat trip to Swanage from Poole Quay costs £21 per person.

There are other cruises too including a Swanage Jurassic Circular Cruise which takes you on a round trip to Poole and back on a circular Jurassic cruise from Swanage, Poole Harbour & Islands Circular Cruise which takes you around Brownsea Island, Sandbanks Peninsular and Studland Bay, and Poole Harbour Lights Cruise which takes you around Poole harbour at sunset.