Poole shares the mild, sunny microclimate of this stretch of the Dorset coast, with the Isle of Purbeck giving it shelter from the prevailing south-westerlies that the towns east of here do not get.
Through the year
Summers are warm rather than Mediterranean, typically comfortable for the beach from June to September. Winters are mild by British standards, and hard frost is rare close to the water. Autumn and winter carry the rainfall; summer showers usually move through.
The sea
Sea temperature lags the air by around two months, so the warmest water of the year arrives in late August and September rather than July. Poole Harbour is shallow, mostly under two metres, so it warms faster in spring and cools faster in autumn than the open bay.
Wind and the harbour
The combination of a sheltered, shallow, enclosed harbour and reliable wind is exactly why Poole has become a serious watersports venue: flat water in a blow. The harbour entrance at Sandbanks behaves differently, with strong tidal flow through a narrow gap.
What to pack
A windproof layer year-round, whatever the forecast says, and proper footwear if you intend to walk the heath or the coast path. See when to go.