7 Wheelchair Accessible Things to do around Poole
I have included 7 Wheelchair Accessible things to do around Poole, I have enjoyed and would recommend.
1. Compton Acres
Compton Acres gardens in Poole is a beautiful ornamental gardens. It is particularly nice when it is hot, as there are lots of shady areas. There is a stunning ornamental pond, tall trees, waterfall, and more.
The cafe is also lovely, we enjoyed a tasty cake and cup of tea. There is a gift shop and garden shop. All of the buildings were accessible and if not via one door there was an alternative door.
There were several accessible toilets, the one by the cafe was quite small but just about manageable. The one by the ticket office/ gift shop, I didn’t’ go in as there was a bit of gravel to get to it, and I was unsure how deep it was.
Most of the gardens were wheelchair accessible. I would not recommend it for adults pushing elderly parents as there are some steep areas (unless you only did a shorter route, avoiding the wooded valley and bog garden area). If you are a manual wheelchair user, I would say you need to have good strength and potentially take someone with you, in case you need assistance.
Price wise carers go half price.
2. Poole Museum
Poole Museum is free to enter and shows you the history of Poole, all about the Lifeboats, Poole in the War and much more.
The whole museum is accessible, there are lifts to the other floors and an accessible toilet. The telephone interactive devices also have adjustment for those that are hard of hearing.
3. Walking along the quayside at Poole
You can walk/wheel a long way along the quayside. Enjoying the sea views.
4. Brownsea Island
Brownsea Island is the birthplace of the Scouting movement. Around the Island you see statues and tributes to Lord Baden Powell.
We saw the Baden Powell statue and commemorative stone. Unfortunately we didn’t see any red squirrels but we did see a peacock and some amazing sea views.
There are no cars on the island so it is very peaceful and nature has not been disturbed.
There is Brownsea Castle which is currently let to John Lewis as a hotel, but you can see some of the outside of it.
Within the island there is a church (although this is not accessible), however near the church yard is meant to be one of the best places to spot the red squirrel. There are various places to visit as well as enjoying a long stroll.
It is of great interest to ornithologists. The ‘Look out’ building is accessible has amazing views over the marsh and shallow waters and there were volunteers helping point out unusual birds to you.
Getting to Brownsea
The Seahorse is the National Trust’s wheelchair accessible boat which goes from Sandbanks to Brownsea Island and back. You need to check the National Trust, Brownsea’s website as the Seahorse only runs on certain days and times. You can book the seahorse via email brownseaisland@nationaltrust.org.uk or phone: 01202 707744.
The standard passenger ferry to Brownsea Island is not wheelchair accessible.
Tramper and Mountain Trikes
There is one tramper and around six mountain trike all terrain wheelchairs you can hire for free from the Brownsea Island reception, just at the entrance to the Island.
The tramper needs to booked well in advance as there is only one and I would recommend booking the mountain trike to ensure availability. You can book it by phone: 01202 492164. They even had a headrest for the mountain trike and walking poles you could borrow should they be needed for supporting walkers.
The tramper can be used independently whereas the mountain trike require you to have an assistant to push you.
Terrain and Other information
Most of the terrain of the island could be accessed using a standard powerchair, especially if you stick to the wheelchair accessible route. The terrain is mainly concrete, compact gravel, compact mud, grass and wooden boards/planks.
It was for me, more comfortable with the suspension on the mountain trike.
There are several wheelchair accessible toilets on the island including one on arrival.
The Baden Powell statue also had a QR code you code scan for individuals with vision impairments and the information could be
Carers go free. Check out the video for more information:
5. Walking along seafront at Sandbanks
You can walk along the seafront at Sandbanks including out into the sea on a concrete pier style walk. This is accessible and on the other side of the road you can walk along the sea front watching all the kite and windsurfers in the bay. On sunny days you can see the sun glistening on the water.
6. The Friends of Dolphin Boat
The Friends of Dolphin boat is a wheelchair accessible boat that goes from Poole quay around Poole Harbour or down the river to Wareham and back. Trips run from May to September each year.
The Dolphin is a charity. It is extremely popular so needs to be booked about two months in advance online here. I have not been on the boat yet but hope to in the future.
7. The Barn Cafe, Lytchett Matravers, Poole
In an old stables there are a few tiny shops e.g. dressmaker. The shops are not accessible but The Barn Cafe is. There is a ramp into the cafe and the outdoor tepee is accessible.
It is quite chic and vintage and has a large choice of homemade cakes. Which are amazing…and I am quite a cake connoisseur!
There is a car park, however if you have someone driving I would recommend being dropped off inside the courtyard and then they go and park, as the car park is quite uneven and at some points muddy.
Maybe you know somewhere wheelchair accessible around Poole to add to the list?
Hannah x
You may be interested in reading: 5 Wheelchair Accessible Things To Do In Swanage
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