There’s something super exciting about catching the foot-ferry over to Brownsea Island in Dorset. Undoubtedly, stepping foot on the vibrant yellow boat, and sailing over to this small tranquil island feels like you’re on a proper adventure!
Brownsea is only a short distance away from Poole Quay, and it’s the largest of the mini islands within Poole Harbour. Yet it’s dense forest, peaceful lagoons and rich wildlife transport you somewhere far more tropical than the UK. Especially if you get lucky with a hot summers day.
It’s the perfect place to bring the family along for a fun day of exploring. Whether that be kicking back on the beaches, playing in the grassy open spaces, or relaxing all your senses with a spot of forest bathing.
Did I mention that Brownsea Island is one of the few remaining places to see red squirrels in England? If you’re quiet, you may spot them jumping from the tree branches with their fluffy orange fur and adorable pointed ears.
There’s so much to see, do and explore at Brownsea. So let me help you plan your visit here.
In this article...
How do you get to Brownsea Island?
As Brownsea is a small island just off from mainlaind UK, you’ll need some sort of floating vessel to get there with dry clothes intact. That leaves you with 3 viable options:
The most common (and easiest) option is to catch one of the two foot ferries; Option 1 is to get the ferry from Poole Quay, or option 2 is to get the ferry from Sandbanks. A place that has the reputation of being one of the most expensive places to live in the world!
The ferry price isn’t included within your Brownsea Island admission, so you’ll need to factor in the cost of the ferry for your day trip.
We went from Poole, and it wasn’t possible to pre-book the ferry (unless you’re in a group of 15 or more) instead it works on a first come first served queuing system. Payment for the ferry is now taken once you’ve arrived at Brownsea. When I came last time, you got the ticket from the yellow kiosk on Poole Quay – but not anymore!
The 3rd option is to take your own boat, kayak or paddleboard and row yourself over to the island. Make sure you’re coming into the correct part though, as some areas are forbidden to dock!
Ferry prices from Poole Quay to Brownsea
| Adult | £13.50 |
| Child (aged 5+) | £6.75 |
| Family (2 adults and up to 3 children) | £33.75 |
| Family (1 adult and up to 3 children) | £20.25 |
Where to catch the Poole ferry, and how long is the boat journey?
To catch the ferry from Poole Quay you just need to queue up by the bright yellow kiosk on the Quay. It sticks out like a sore thumb, so you wont miss it! The boat ride is pretty quick, taking roughly 20 minutes.
Brownsea Island ferry times
Check here for the Poole ferry timetable, as this changes month-to-month.
When is Brownsea island open?
The island isn’t open to visitors all year through, so you need to plan your trip for the right time of the year. Nobody wants to be stranded at Poole Quay, full of disappointment that theres no ferry to catch.
Brownsea Island is only open during April-October, with the best weather obviously being in the warmer summer months of June-August. We visited at the start of May, on a hot sunny day, which made Brownsea feel extra welcoming.
Can you camp at Brownsea Island?
I knew Scout groups came to Brownsea Island to camp, but I wasn’t aware that its now open to the general public between March-September too! There is a designated camping site on the west side of the island, where you can either pay to hire bell-tents, regular tents, tree tents or just a pitch to erect your own canvas hotel.
Prices vary depending on which option you choose, and there is a minimum stay of 2 nights.
The camp site has designated outdoor cooking areas with communal gas stoves, a basic camp shop, along with a modern toilet and shower block.
If you don’t want to lug your camping gear all the way across the island yourself (which takes about 25 minutes). There is an option to leave it in a trailer for the staff members to drive over to camp for you. You need to leave it in the trailer before 4pm, and it will delivered to the camp by 5:30pm. If you want to set up your tent before then, you’ll need to carry it yourself- so pack light.
On your departure day, they only offer this service at 10am, so you’ll need to be all packed away pretty early if you want help getting your camping equipment back to the other end of the island.
I can imagine the best thing about camping here is watching the island come alive once the day guests have all headed home. When the place falls quiet, I bet even more wildlife feels brave and comes out to play. We spotted two red squirrels during the day, but I’m sure loads venture out once they know most of the humans have gone home!
Are there any toilets?
Once your stepped foot on dry land, and gone inside to purchase your entry ticket. There are toilets pretty much straight away in a courtyard area near the cafe.
There are additional toilets at the opposite end of the island where the camp site is, which is about a 25 minute walk away. Theres a couple others on the map too!
Brownsea Island map
National Trust Admission ticket prices
The National Trust owns Brownsea Island, so if you’re a member (we have at long last joined) your entry will be included within your membership. You’ll just need to pay for the ferry.
Non-members will need to pay for both the ferry and access to the island. At the time of writing this, the National Trust admission prices are:
Adult £10.00
Child £5.00
Family £25.00
1 adult + 3 children £15.00
Group Adult £9.50
Group Child £4.30
Check up to date prices here.
Does it take long to walk around the Island?
The entire island is 1.5 miles long, so you could walk around it pretty quickly! However, if you actually want to take your time and enjoy all the different trails, relax and try and spot red squirrels you could easily spend hours here! Just remember that the last boat leaves at 5pm!
We spent 4 hours here with the boys, but we could have easily stayed longer (especially if they hadn’t sold out of ice-creams)
The official birthplace of Scouting
If you have a Beaver, Cub, Scout or Explorer within your family. They will probably love coming to Brownsea, as It’s actually the birthplace of Scouting!
A man named Lord Baden-Powell set up the first ever scout camp here on the 1st August 1907. Which is marked today with ‘The Scout Stone’
Our youngest is a Cub, so he absolutely loved discovering this and seeing all the plaques from scout groups all across the globe. His favourite one was the Finland sign, as it reminded him about our magical time in Finland.
Food options
To save a few pennies, we packed our own picnic and brought plenty of food and drinks with us. However, if you would rather eat there, then there is the main cafe near the ferry jetty. Or they have a National Trust snack wagon at the campsite selling snacks and drinks. We tried to buy an ice-cream there but sadly they had all sold out.
Play area for the children
Right at the heart of the island you’ll discover a shaded play park for the children to enjoy. The boys loved the wooden assault course and balance beams, and theres plenty of benches for the adults to sit and relax for a while.
Where to park for the Poole Quay ferry?
There isn’t any free parking for National Trust members here, so we parked at the Quay visitors multi-story carpark. It’s open 24 hours, has over 500 spaces, and is about a 2 minute walk to the ferry ticket booth.
The address for this car park is:
Quay visitors multi-storey car park, BH15 1SB
Is Brownsea Island worth visiting?
Personally I really enjoy visiting Brownsea Island, and I think travelling by ferry adds a fun spin on your regular day out. There is gorgeous scenery here, and it’s never felt busy or overcrowded whenever i’ve visited. Obviously there’s the challenge of trying to spot a rare red squirrel along with loads of other wildlife, and on a sunny day it can feel like you’re a long way from home. There’s also the serpentine board-walk, pretty stone buildings and ruins to admire along the way.
But ultimately, this is a forest walk. For some, this could feel like an expensive day out to walk around multiple forest trails. Something you could most likely do back on mainland for free, or at least a lot cheaper. However, it wouldn’t be quite the same.
If you have a National Trust membership, I think it’s 100% worth a trip. Although, if you have to pay for admission along with the ferry ticket, then it can work out quite expensive.
It’s a far more memorable experience though, which I personally love. Plus the boys (and i’m sure this goes for most children) really enjoyed the novelty of catching the ferry to a different island!
Watch what we got up to here!
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2 comments
I was brought up in Bournemouth. We always called it Bransea Island. Was also told tha Baden Powell started the Boy Scouts. He was a keen artist drawinf the local flora. Seems he was also A spy during the war using his drawings to send messages to the Allies.
Sorry I left out the k in Branksea Island.