Daily pattern, year-round (Christmas Day excepted) — checked 15 September 2026 · Sailings shown by frequency — exact times from the operator.
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~4 min
Frequency
every 20 min
Operator
Sandbanks Ferry
Map – Sandbanks Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Foot passenger, Sandbanks to Shell Bay (single) | £1.18 |
| Foot passenger, Shell Bay to Sandbanks (single) | Free |
| Bicycle, single crossing | £1.18 |
| Motorcycle, single crossing | £1.18 |
| Car or van, single crossing | £6.26 |
| Goods vehicle, single crossing | £12.52 |
| Bus or coach, single crossing | £12.52 |
| Dog or other pet (on a lead) | Free |
Foot passengers and cyclists buy a ticket by contactless card at the point of travel — no booking needed. Foot passengers travel free from Shell Bay to Sandbanks; the Sandbanks-to-Shell Bay leg is charged. All vehicle tolls, including motorcycles, must be paid online at sandbanksferry.co.uk/pay or via the Sandbanks Ferry app, either up to 30 days before travel or by midnight the day after crossing — since 1 July 2026, cash and in-person card payment at the ramp are no longer accepted for vehicles. Vehicles towing a trailer are charged double the standard toll. Dogs and other pets travel free on a lead. All fares in pounds sterling (GBP).
The Sandbanks Ferry is a chain (cable) ferry operated by The Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company, crossing the mouth of Poole Harbour between Sandbanks in Poole and Shell Bay on the Isle of Purbeck. It has run this short crossing for around 40 years, giving drivers, cyclists and walkers a shortcut between Bournemouth and Poole on one side and the Studland, Swanage and Corfe Castle side of Dorset on the other. Skipping the ferry means a much longer drive around the harbour via Wareham and Corfe Castle, so most local and holiday traffic relies on it.
The crossing itself takes about four minutes, but the vessel works continuously rather than to a printed timetable: it leaves Sandbanks on the hour, twenty past and twenty to, and leaves Shell Bay at ten past, half past and ten to, running from 07:00 to around 23:00-23:10 every day of the year except Christmas Day. On busy summer weekends and bank holidays, queues build on both approach roads, and the operator runs an extra shuttle sailing to help clear them, so it pays to arrive early around midday in July and August.
Since 1 July 2026 the ferry has moved to fully cashless, camera-based tolling. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) reads every vehicle's plate as it crosses, and there is no longer any way to pay in cash or by card at the toll booth. Drivers, including motorcyclists, must pay online at sandbanksferry.co.uk/pay or through the Sandbanks Ferry app, either up to 30 days ahead or by midnight the day after travelling; miss that window and a postal Unpaid Toll Notification follows. Foot passengers and cyclists are unaffected by this change and still buy a ticket by contactless card at the point of travel, wheeling or carrying bikes aboard.
One detail worth knowing before you walk off the ferry towards Studland: it lands at Shell Bay, a car park, beach and slipway right at the northern tip of the Studland peninsula. Studland village and its main beaches are still a walk or drive further south.
- Arrive at the slipway a few minutes before departure; vehicle queues build quickly in summer.
- Check the operator's notices before travelling — tides, weather and maintenance affect sailings.
- Confirm accepted payment methods: several crossings are contactless-only.
Frequently asked questions
On 15 September 2026 the operator's own status board read 'The ferry is running normally' — but always check sandbanksferry.co.uk before you travel, since this ferry has been withdrawn for weeks at a time in the past for refits or mechanical repairs.
Per single crossing: foot passenger £1.18 from Sandbanks to Shell Bay (free the other way), bicycle or motorcycle £1.18, car or van £6.26, and goods vehicle or bus/coach £12.52. Dogs and other pets travel free on a lead.
No. Since 1 July 2026, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras handle every vehicle crossing, and payment can only be made online at sandbanksferry.co.uk/pay or via the Sandbanks Ferry app — up to 30 days before travel or by midnight the day after. Cash, card and paper tickets are no longer accepted for vehicles at the toll booth. Foot passengers and cyclists still pay by contactless card at the point of travel.
The registered keeper is sent an Unpaid Toll Notification by post, requesting payment within 28 days for the toll amount plus an administration charge that starts at £24.52.
At Shell Bay (postcode BH19 3BA) — a slipway, car park and beach at the very northern tip of the Studland peninsula. Studland village and its main beaches are a couple of miles further south, not at the ferry landing itself.
The crossing itself is about four minutes, but on busy summer days and bank holidays traffic queues on both approach roads; the operator runs an extra shuttle sailing at peak times to help clear the backlog.
Yes — it operates daily, year-round, on the same roughly 07:00-23:00 pattern. The only published exception is Christmas Day, when a reduced half-hourly service runs from 08:00 to 18:10.
The only alternative is the long way round Poole Harbour by road via Wareham and Corfe Castle, adding the best part of an hour compared with the four-minute ferry crossing.