Knoll beach, is a 4 mile long, white sandy beach with clear turquoise water (which also boasts a 5 star water quality), located roughly 4.5 miles North of Swanage, and a 15 minute walk from Studland Village. It’s a very clean and pretty beach, owned and protected by the National Trust. With golden sand dunes to the rear, and a national trust nature reserve just behind the golden sand which meets the beautiful Studland bay just meteres from the dunes, you can really see why people come here year after year. So, what is the beach like? Where is it located? What is there to do? …What is the meaning of life?
I will answer these four questions in this post, so make a brew, take a seat and have a read, while we delve in to the things you should know about Studland’s prettiest beach!
The village
Studland is the nearest village to Knoll beach, it’s a small village, with only 182 households, and a population of only 425 people. (as of 2011). You can imagine then, there isn’t all that much to do in the town. There is a small, picturesque local store called Studland general stores, where you can get a hold of pretty much anything you could need in a pinch. The store is also the town’s post office, and is located on School lane. For any other shopping needs, head into the much larger town of Swanage, just 3.6 miles down Swanage road for a load more shops and other businesses.
Knoll beach isn’t the only beach in Studland to check out, the village is home to three others! Knoll beach and Shell bay to the North, South beach to the, well, South, and middle beach inbetween! The closest to the town is Middle beach, with access at the end of Beach road, but the real star is Knoll beach, due to it’s beautiful surroundings, soft sand and it’s water quality!
There are three cafe’s in and around the town, Knoll beach cafe, which is situated just by the car park in, you guessed it, Knoll beach. Middle beach cafe ia the closest to Studland town however, just at the bottom of Beach road, and boasts a 4.3 star review on google, and backs on to the beautiful Middle beach. The third and final one is Joe’s cafe on South beach. It is nestled in among the beach uts on south beach, so it’s perfect for a quick coffee and a sandwich when exploring Studland’s coastline.
Things to do on Knoll beach
The crystal clear waters that surround Knoll beach are very popular with watersport enthusiasts, such as kayakers, swimmers, snorkelers, fishermen, windsurfers and SUP’s, so it can get pretty busy during the peak of summer! If you are interested in trying any of these for yourself, the Studland Watersports Centre is located just by the entrance to the beach by the car park. For kite surfers, a zone has been set aside between Shell Bay and Knoll Beach, but unfortunately you will need a permit to surf here. You can get your permit from the Watersports Centre website. The beach isn’t lifeguarded, so stick to your depth and keep an eye on kids… unless they’re not yours, in which case, maybe don’t…
Being on the Jurassic coast, Knoll beach and the beaches that surround it are full of relics of our ancient past, if you look closely in the rocks and along the cliffs, you may come across fossils dating back over 65 million years! So, if you fancy summoning your inner archeologist, Knoll beach is a good place to start.
Knoll beach is a dog friendly beach, but need to be on a lead from April to August. This is kind of a double edged sword, if you don’t like dogs too much, you may find Knoll beach quite difficult as it is very popular with dog walkers, taking advantage of the 4 miles or so of sand. On the other hand, I haven’t come across any complaints about people leaving their dogs “presents” across the beach, so they seem to be generally well behaved.
“The prettiest beach in Studland”
On a sunny day, the beach may aswell be in Portugal or some other sunny country abroad, you wouldn’t think it was in England! A quick look at the landscape reveals stunning white cliffs and rocks to the south, and a vast moorland that backs on to the beach, this moorland is actually the Studland and Godlingston Heath National Nature Reserve, which is also owned and protected by the National trust and provides some absolutely gorgeous views on the trails that lead through the heath. A quick look on the National trust’s website will show you the trails and what you can expect to see in the surrounding vegetation and treetops.
As mentioned earlier, the south of the beach is home to some stunning white cliffs and stone formations. A 40 minute walk down the South West coastal path will bring you above the beach and up close and personal with the “Old Harry rocks”, that mark the most Eastern point of the Jurassic coast! They are the perfect place to grab a show-stopping photo for your social media accounts or just to sit and admire Natures’ work!
The naturist beach
Roughly 1.5 km to the North of the car park, towards Shell beach, is a Naturist beach. The area is clearly marked and signposted, so unless you want to go and get a tanned sausage, or come across one, I’d keep away from that end of the beach, if I were you. You can get around the Naturist area of the beach by walking up the Heather walk Trail. If you want to utilize the naturist beach, you must keep clothes on until you pass the signs marking the naturist area.
Where to find it!
To get to Knoll beach, you should head down the B3351 from Corfe Castle through Swanage, and follow Ferry road until you reach the National trust car park, just by the beach. Or, you could just follow Google maps, which is a better navigator than I am!
The only issue is the fact that the price for parking is borderline theft! It costs £9.50 to leave your car in the carpark… So better start saving up now! Avoid parking on the grass outside the car park as well, as it seems that the ticket people like to dish out fines left right and centre. I suppose the high price is acceptable when you look at how well kept the beaches are, and the public toilet facilities are always clean. I would say that it is worth the price to see one of the most beautiful beaches in Dorset! Alternatively, South beach car park charges £7 for the day, and is located in Studland village, so there is a much longer walk to Knoll beach, but you get to see the two other beautiful beaches on your way across the South West coastal path…
If you are planning on spending the night, the National trust don’t allow overnight camping, which is unfortunate, however there are places to stay in and around Studland, Check out this article by Tripadvisor for the best hotels to stay in when you visit. Alternatively, look here for the best hostels around Knoll beach if you are after a cheaper alternative.
Conclusion
So, Knoll beach has a range of positive features, such as;
- Soft white sand
- Plenty of facilities
- A 5 star water quality
- 3 cafes on the beach
- A stunning natural landscape
- a close proximity to the nearest village
- Watersports and rentals on the beach
- A national park nature reserve
I mean, there’s so much to do, see and experience on this stretch of coastline, I would say you’d be missing out if you didn’t have a visit.
the negatives are really mostly the high price of the car park, and the fact that the naturist beach is quite close to knoll beach, and there have been some incidences of people disobeying the rules and stripping nude before getting past the signage, however, this is a very rare occurrence. If that is an issue for you, the three other beaches to the South of the naturist beach are easily accessible, and equally nice places to take your kids and family for a trip to see some of the prettiest beaches in Dorset.
If you liked this post, leave a comment or maybe check out one of my other articles…
The Best Beginner Surfboards and Where to Get Em’
Top 7 Incredible Things To Do in Tenby!
Cayton Bay! The Beach to Fuel Your Obsession…
St Agnes Cornwall- A Town Guide!
Oh yeah, and the meaning of life is…
