The last two weeks I’ve been spending a bit of time working for a client down in Poole, Dorset, a town located a couple of hours by train south west of London. It is best described as a quaint English seaside town, the sort that you tend to see in many English shows and movies. It apparently has one of the better beaches in England, though you probably need to be in the peak of summer to use it, assuming that is you can wade through the swarms of people covering the sand to actually get to it.

If you actually see people in Poole (Monday nights are completely dead around town) you will find yourself surrounded by two sorts of people, the elderly and bikers (yes, you read correctly).

Understanding Poole is a pleasant place for people to retire and you’ll find yourself constantly surrounded, be it in the shopping centre, around town or in the pubs, with loads of people with white hair. During summer, early on Tuesday evenings, you’ll find the second crowd congregates by the Quay-side where the “biggest and best weekly” motorcycle event in the UK is held (well at least as described in the brochure). Police shut down the entire wharf side as bikes of all sorts including vintage, home-made, standard and premium ones are lined up one after the other. Of course because it is a school night, you’ll find the entire evening finishes early and most of the crowd has dispersed by about 9 at night.

So what do you do if you ever find yourself in Poole? Your best bet during the day is to take a cruise around the harbour or a ferry to the Brownsea Island which apparently has a number of great walking tracks. In the town the biggest attractions are the waterfront museum describing the town’s history, a pottery factory and a historic walking trail lasting for about an hour an half around town called the Cockle Trail. If you find yourself here at night, there are enough restaurants and take away stores to suit any budget and enough bars and pubs to do the same.

Poole is one of those places that, if you’re looking for a place to relax and avoid the hustle of London, you will enjoy for a weekend and I do not recommend it as a destination if you want a week filled with things to do.