Plan a visit to Hamworthy Park in Poole with essential information on parking, facilities, accessibility, the children’s paddling pool, play area, beach and dog-friendly areas. Set beside Poole Harbour, the park offers large open lawns, harbour views, a seasonal paddling pool, fitness equipment, refreshments and access to watersports. With a year-round dog-friendly beach and family facilities, Hamworthy Park is a useful free destination for relaxed outdoor days in Poole.
Hamworthy Park is a spacious waterfront park on the northern shore of Poole Harbour, combining open green space with a small beach, children’s play facilities and a seasonal paddling pool. With views across the harbour towards Brownsea Island and the Purbeck Hills, it is a popular choice for family days out, picnics, dog walks and waterside activities. Visitors will also find toilets, accessible facilities, a café, fitness equipment and nearby parking.
Address: Hamworthy Park, Lulworth Avenue, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4DH
Admission: Free
Nearest car park: Hamworthy Park Surface Car Park, BH15 4DJ
Nearest railway station: Hamworthy, approximately 0.9 miles away
Facilities: Toilets, accessible toilet, children’s play area, seasonal paddling pool, café, fitness station and chargeable parking.
Hamworthy Park sits directly beside Poole Harbour and offers a combination of open grassland, harbour beach and family recreation facilities. Its waterfront setting provides panoramic views across the middle and upper reaches of the harbour towards the Purbeck Hills, while BCP Council also highlights views towards Brownsea Island.
The large lawns make the park well suited to picnics, informal games and relaxing beside the water, while the beach and play facilities give families several different ways to spend a day here.
Hamworthy Park has its own harbour beach on the northern shore of Poole Harbour. It is considerably quieter in character than Poole’s larger open-coast beaches such as Sandbanks and Branksome Chine and is particularly suited to relaxed waterside visits.
The beach is accessed by steps rather than a ramp, so visitors with limited mobility should be aware that direct access onto the beach itself is restricted.
One of Hamworthy Park’s most popular family features is its large paddling pool with water features.
The pool is scheduled to open between May and September, with current published opening hours of:
9am - 6pm
The paddling pool is particularly popular during warmer weather and school holidays. Dogs are not permitted within the paddling-pool area.
Hamworthy Park also has a dedicated children’s play area beside the seafront, providing another option for families alongside the paddling pool and beach.
Dogs are not permitted within the play parks, helping keep the children's areas separate from the park’s dog-friendly spaces.
The park has an onsite Park Cafe, giving visitors somewhere to buy refreshments without leaving the park. Drinking-water points are also available.
With large areas of open grass overlooking the harbour, Hamworthy Park is also well suited to visitors bringing their own picnic.
For visitors looking for something more active, Hamworthy Park is home to South Coast Adventures, an outdoor activity provider offering activities including paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing lessons.
The park also has a fitness station, making it popular with people using the open space for running, walking and outdoor exercise.
The nearest car park is Hamworthy Park Surface Car Park, BH15 4DJ.
It is open 24 hours a day and currently has:
From 15 March to 31 October, current charges include:
Weekend maximum stays differ from weekday arrangements. Parking is currently free from 1 November to 14 March.
Hamworthy Park itself has pushchair and wheelchair-friendly paths, accessible toilets and accessible routes around the main park area.
However, BCP Council states that there is no ramp access directly onto Hamworthy Park Beach; beach access is via steps only.
The public toilets beside the café include an accessible toilet operated with a RADAR key and a family room with baby-changing facilities.
Public toilets are located next to the café.
Current published opening hours are:
Accessible facilities and baby changing are available.
Hamworthy Park Beach is a designated year-round dog-friendly beach, so dogs can use the beach throughout the year.
Dogs are also welcome around much of the park but are not permitted within the children’s play areas or paddling pool.
Hamworthy railway station is approximately 0.9 miles from the park, while Poole station is around 1.4 miles away. Local bus services also run to the Hamworthy Park area.
Cycling is not permitted on the promenade at Hamworthy Park.
Hamworthy Park is free to visit and works particularly well for families looking for a combination of green space, play facilities and waterside scenery. The paddling pool operates seasonally, so visitors travelling specifically to use it should check current BCP Council information before setting off.
The combination of a café, toilets, parking, large lawns, children’s facilities and a year-round dog-friendly beach makes Hamworthy Park one of the more versatile outdoor spaces around Poole Harbour.
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