Accessible Birdwatching Boat Trips for disabled people

We're excited to launch our first ever fully accessible birdwatching boat trips! This is something we've been keen to do for a long time now and are happy to announce a partnership between BoPH and the excellent charity The Friends of the Dolphin who provide boat trips for disabled people. We'll be using their accessible boat with our expert guides on board to show you some of the harbour's best birds. These trips will take place on a low tide to make the most of seasonal highlights and being eye level to birds on the water and mud! 

Depending on the time of year we'll be hoping to catch up with species like White-tailed Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Spoonbill, Avocet and lots more. By being able to navigate the shallow channels we'll hopefully have a terrific eye-level view of the thousands of wetland birds that come here to feed in the mud and shallow water. These three-hour cruises embrace the safari experience, scouring the harbour from otherwise inaccessible areas such as the Wareham Channel. From bird behaviour, plumages and vocalisations, we’ll guide you through the species we encounter all set to the stunning harbour landscape. The exact route will be determined on the day, taking into account the state of the tide and latest sightings, to maximise the birding potential of the cruise, so no two trips will be the same!

Additional Information

• Boat trips depart from and return to Poole Quay Boat Haven boarding with the Friends of the Dolphin (orange-and-white kiosk) opposite the Tesco Express
• Accessible parking bays: Blue Badge holders can access dedicated on-street disabled bays near Customs House and the marina on Poole Quay, with a maximum stay of three hours. Alternatively, there are 16 accessible bays in the Quay Visitors multi-storey car park.
• View our travel guide for more information about getting to our event | PDF
• Wheelchair accessible Toilet facilities, undercover seating and light refreshments are available onboard
• Tickets do no need to be printed as we will use a digital guest-list when boarding
• Dogs are not permitted, with the exception of assistance and guide dogs.
• These trips can get cold any time of year, especially for wheelchair users so we recommend bringing plenty of layers and preparing for any weather. There is a roof for rain cover but the sides will be open to the elements.
• Important information about accessibility: These trips are fully accessible to people with disabilities including wheelchair users. There must be one carer/assistant per wheelchair user and enough carers/assistants to manage walk on passengers in the event of an emergency when the crew will be busy attending to the emergency on the boat.

  An independent passenger may be able to join a trip without a carer but for safety reasons this must be discussed and agreed prior to the trip. We recommend a carer for each passenger. Please see the Friends of The Dolphin Website and get in contact with them about accessibility if you have questions.

• Wheelchairs – Wheelchair places are restricted. If you cannot book the number you want it will be because there are not enough wheelchair places available.
• Please get in touch with us if you have any questions - bookings@birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk
• Dolphin leaves promptly on time please arrive at least 15 mins before departure.
• Please note that these trips are weather dependent and if the rain or wind makes these unsafe we will cancel the trip 24 hours in advance and be in touch about next steps. Please see our terms and conditions for further info.

• We will attempt with every effort to arrive back on time, but please note that due the state of the tides, weather or sightings we may arrive back up to half an hour later than originally stated