Sandbanks to Shell Bay ferry

For at least 200 years, some sort of ferry has carried passengers between Sandbanks and Shell Bay across the narrow entrance of Poole Harbour. When a road was first built along the Sandbanks Peninsula after World War 1, it became necessary to provide a ferry that could carry motor traffic, which otherwise faced a 24-mile journey round the harbour. The first vessel, coal-fired and carrying 15 cars, came into service in 1926.

 The present ferry, Bramble Bush Bay, is the fourth and carries 48 cars. Two large chains lie on the seabed across the harbour entrance and through channels the length of the vessel. Wheels engage with these chains and pull the ferry along. The crossing takes about five minutes.

 Nearest postcode: BH13 7QL or BH19 3BA
OS reference: SZ037870 or SZ036867
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