Knoll Beach Studland - Dorset Guide

Knoll Beach is a well organised beach and, like all the beaches in Studland, it is owned by the National Trust. There is a large car park which is free for National Trust members but non-members have to pay (for car park details and charges see bottom of this page).

Beach facilities include a beach shop, a licensed cafe/restaurant with plenty of outdoor seating, toilets and a watersports centre with a good selection of watercraft that they hire out such as stand-up paddle boards, pedaloes, kayaks, windsurfers and even sailing dinghies. Powerboat rides and banana rides can also be arranged.

The beach itself is sandy and shallow for quite a long way out making it a safe and popular choice with families. The National Trust try to leave the beach as natural as possible and sometimes this can result in seaweed washed up on the beach. It gets cleared away from time to time when it starts to smell.

Views from Knoll Beach are spectacular. It’s a lovely beach backed by sand dunes and woodland around Studland village. Old Harry Rocks is only a short distance away and nearly always visible. On a clear day you can see across Poole Bay to Bournemouth and also Needles on the Isle of White.

If you fancy a walk to Old Harry Rocks it’s just under 2 miles away and will take around 40 minutes each way. All you need to do is follow the South West Coast Path. Walk along the beach until Middle Beach then follow the path turning right after the Middle Beach Cafe. You then basically follow the sign posts until Old Harry Rocks. It’s a stunning walk and makes for a good Plan B if the sun goes in. In Studland village there’s also a pretty church and a lovely pub – the Bankes Arms Inn – that does good food and has a beer garden with sea views (the pub is a 15 minute walk from Knoll Beach).

Knoll Beach Car Park Charges

SAT NAV the post code is BH19 3AH (Google map)

This is a National Trust car park so it’s FREE to park for National Trust members (see membership prices).

Cars	Price
up to 2 hours	£3
All day	£5

Charges apply 8am – 8pm every day, no overnight parking. Info last checked on 18 March 2021. Prices subject to change

You can pay at the Pay & Display machines using cash. Alternatively you can pay for parking using PayByPhone by either using the app or online You’ll need to enter the location code which is given below.

The PayByPhone location code for this car park is 803385