Poole Old Lifeboat Museum can be found on the eastern end of Poole Quay at Fisherman’s Dock and is open daily from March until winter.  Admission to the museum is free however any donation is hugely appreciated.

The museum is housed in the boathouse where Poole lifeboat station was based from 1882 to 1974.  The compact and informative museum brings to life the history of lifesaving in the town and also houses the Thomas Kirk Wright lifeboat which was operational at the station from 1939 to 1962 and was one of the little ships which took part in the Dunkirk evacuations in 1940.

You can walk around the entire boat, reading about the construction of the building and the history of the RNLI in Poole.  You also have the opportunity to try on the crew kit which my daughter and father enjoyed through fits of giggles.

There’s a little shop where you can buy souvenirs, gifts and books and my husband bought a cool RNLI cap.  We also spotted ‘Betty’s Pots’ which are recycled mini jam jars which can be filled with coins and then once returned it goes towards the RNLI.  We took 2 so each child has one and we’ll be returning them with some change inside next time we visit.

For more information on the Poole Old Lifeboat Museum, please visit the RNLI.

Ashley Wood Nature Reserve can be found in Tarrant Keyneston which is located between Wimborne and Blandford.  The ancient woodland comes alive in spring and from mid/late April to early May you should see the most wonderful carpet of bluebells.

Googling suggested to park on the main road and we drove up and down the small village working out the best way to get in to the woods.  We finally found out that there are several paths and since the village is very small I’d suggest parking where you see public parking bays and walking to the woods which you can see behind a few cottages.  We parked near the True Lovers Knot pub and because we couldn’t see a pathway on the main road when we arrived my husband suggested we walk down the lane which the pub sits on and then through the field next to it.  I’m not even sure if this was allowed so I probably wouldn’t advise it though.  We did however stay close to the edge of the field and stuck to the tractor paths which then led us up to a farm with a public path straight into the woods.  If you do venture down the lanes then look out for pheasants and rabbits in the hedgerows, we spotted quite a few on our walk.

We walked for over an hour taking in the most stunning sights of bluebells and noted there was plenty of pathways so you didn’t have to touch any of the wild flowers.  My children know the importance of not walking too close to flowers (I’m forever reminding them) so they were very good and only climbed the trees and fallen logs which are on the pathway.  We looped through the woods and knew we were coming back down close to the road and at this point the boys wanted to go one way while I wanted to go another so we said we’d have a race to the pub.  The girls won!  Although at one point I did question if we were in someone’s back garden when we came across a washing line haha.

Once we got back out on the main road the heavens opened and within just a few minutes we were drenched.  Luckily the pub provided a hot coffee for me and cold drinks for everyone else and we played a game at the table before heading back to the car and home again.

It’s very interesting to know that almost half of the world's bluebells are found in the UK and colonies of this wild flower take a long time to establish, around 5 to 7 years from seed to bloom.  They're considered so important that they're a protected species in the UK.

The Dorset Wildlife Trust acquired the reserve in 1999.  If you would like to read more about Ashley Wood Nature Reserve then please visit the Dorset Wildlife Trust.

Pamphill Bluebell Woods is also currently in full bloom and nearby you’ll find Pamphill Dairy which has a café, play park, farm shop and an awesome ice cream parlour.  We’ve tested several of their homemade ice cream flavours over the years and thoroughly recommend a visit.  If you would like to read more then please see our blog post on Pamphill Bluebell Woods and Pamphill Dairy.

Need some more ideas on places to go in Dorset?

Free & low cost places to go in Dorset with kids

Pubs with play parks

Car boot sales in Dorset

Attractions and places to go in Dorset