Distance 12 miles (19.3km)
Classification Easy
Start Hole Bay Road, Poole, BH15
Finish Stony Lane South, Christchurch, BH23
Duration 2 hours
Route NCN route 2
Map OS Landranger 195, AA guide Cycling in the South West of England, Dorset Downs cycle map

Route notes

This route begins right on Poole quayside, and before you know it you've pedalled through three different port towns almost without noticing. From Poole harbour you ride past the boating lake and Parkstone Bay, then either take a direct route to the promenade via Sandbanks and Shore Road, or zigzag through Bournemouth on NCN 2 before joining the seaside paths all the way to Christchurch.

Terrain and gradients

Some quiet roads, some cycle lanes, largely flat, easy.

How to get there/away

Poole railway station is a minute from the start point, and there are stations all along the route, at Parkstone, Branksome, Bournemouth and Christchurch.

What to see

The historic harbour in Poole is well worth a wander, with its quaint fishing boat marina. But the main attraction is the seaside ride and its views over Poole Bay. Visit Compton Acres with its internationally themed ornamental gardens. In Bournemouth, NCN 2 takes you past the town's Grade II-listed Victorian pleasure gardens on the river Bourne. And in Christchurch, visit the 11th-century Priory church on Quay Road and the nearby Place Mill, a restored Anglo-Saxon watermill.

Watering holes

Try the Jolly Sailor (The Quay, Poole, BH15 1HJ), Obscura Cafe (The Square, Bournemouth, BH2 6ED) and the Oak Inn (57 Martins Hill Lane, Christchurch, BH23 7NW).