Poole Park
A large urban park next to a boating lake, with a cafe, play areas, tennis courts, bowls and water sports facilities.
A successful bid for £2.7m of National Lottery funding in 2017 has been supporting the four-year Poole Park Life improvement project.
There are 3 sites at Poole Park that are licensed to hire for outdoor events.
Location
Parkstone Road, Poole, BH15 2SF.
Parking
There are 3 free car parks in the park:
- next to The Kitchen - around 40 spaces, 2-hour maximum stay
- between Rockley Watersports and The Ark - around 30 spaces, 3-hour maximum stay
- next to The Ark - around 60 spaces, three-hour maximum stay.
You can also park for free on the roads within Poole Park.
Opening times
The park is closed to vehicles between 6am and 10am, Monday to Saturday.
Entrances
On foot
The park’s main entrances are on Parkstone Road, Sandbanks Road, Kingland Road and Whitecliff Road.
By car
There’s access for cars on Kingland Road, Sandbanks Road, Whitecliff Road and Copse Close.
You cannot drive into Poole Park from Monday to Saturday between 6am and 10am.
Dogs
Dogs are allowed in the park, except within the fenced play areas.
Food and drink
The park has:
- drinking water taps
- picnic areas
- The Ark café, with a soft play area and a children's ice-skating rink
- Scoops ice cream parlour
- The Kitchen waterside restaurant.
Fun things to do
In the park there’s:
Poole Park railway
The railway will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays from 28 November 2022 until further notice.
The Poole Park railway runs through the park between 10am to 1pm Wednesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. These timings are subject to change depending on the weather.
Poole Park railway prices
| Ticket type | Price |
|---|
| Standard ticket |
£3.50 |
| 2 years old and under |
Free |
| Family ticket (max 2 adults and 3 children) |
£13.50 |
Arts and makers studio
From June 2022, Poole Park will have an arts and makers studio for hire.
Plant Explorers play area
The children's play area at Swan Lake has:
- multi-spring rocker
- climbing frame with slide
- cradle swings and junior swings
- tree seat and picnic tables
- roundabout
- seesaw
- sandpit
- talk tubes
- play train.
Jungle Adventure play area
The children's play area on Park Lake Road has:
- activity trail
- adventure temple climbing frame with tube slide
- basket swing
- seesaw
- zip wires
- scramble net
- climbing frame
- large slides
- swings
- seating and picnic table.
Sport and exercise
At the park you’ll find:
There's also an adult parkrun at Poole Park every Saturday morning at 9am and a junior parkrun on Sunday mornings at 9am.
Friends of Poole Park
The Friends of Poole Park is a community charity with a special interest in the development and future of the park.