Studland Bay has 4 miles of beautiful sandy beaches, but also a variety of other habitats which make it an important nature site, including sand dune heathland (which is home to all 6 native UK reptiles, along with other creatures and plants). The coastline is managed by the National Trust, so you can find out lots about the area on the National Trust website here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/studland-bay
There are 4 beach areas - South Beach (the smallest), Middle Beach (the most sheltered), Knoll Beach (the largest), and Knoll Beach also includes an area of Naturist Beach. The naturist beach is a fair walk from the Knoll Beach car park, and is well signposted, whether you want to find it or avoid it - it's clear where the boundary is!
There are 3 car parks and you can park at them for free if you are a national trust member (it gets expensive for a whole day parking in the summer holidays otherwise). Knoll Beach has a national trust cafe and shop, and frequent family events.
If you stand on Knoll Beach and look right you can see Old Harry Rocks - some chalk stacks which mark the most Easterly point of the Jurassic Coast:
You can also walk from the South Beach Car Park to see a closer view of Old Harry Rocks:
If you stand on Knoll Beach and look left you can see all the way to Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Hengistbury Head:
Out to sea you can often glimpse the Isle of Wight too.
The beach has beach huts, many privately owned or some you can rent, and also watersports rentals / lessons:
It can be windy at times, which is great for a spot of kite-flying:
The sand is good for building sand castles, or for turning children into mermaids / mermen:
And the sea is lovely and clear, so great for swimming in. There is a marked swimming area in the peak season, where boats aren't allowed into - great for parents with small kids who want them to swim, without worrying they will get in the way of a kayak!
The beach can even be great for a walk in the winter. But you won't want to go in for a swim then, because the sea looks more like this...
Have you visited the beaches at Studland Bay before? Tell us if you have any great memories from a trip there!
Don't forget to tag #DorsetTeam in your social media posts if you have any great photos of Dorset areas. Also let us know if you have any favourite spots in Dorset that you'd like us to feature one month!
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