Where to scatter ashes in Poole

For many people, scattering ashes is a deeply personal moment. It can be a really meaningful way to say goodbye, and it’s important to take time to plan ahead and ensure you choose the right location for you and your loved one.

While some people choose to keep ashes at home in an urn, many people scatter ashes around natural beauty spots, usually places that have special memories attached to them. 

Scattering ashes is a great way of honouring your loved ones and in the UK people are generally allowed to scatter ashes anywhere. This can be along a river, in the sea, under a tree, at the beach or even on private land.

To scatter ashes in the sea or in a river then you do not need to have permission, but there are some guidelines to follow, and it’s recommended you seek advice from the environmental agency. For places inland it’s generally safe, but there are guidelines in place to protect nature and permission may need to be granted from the landowner. 

As Poole is included in the Dorset AONB, there are many places for families and friends to scatter ashes, from Evening Hill at Sandbanks Beach to Studland and Godlingston Heath Nature Reserve. 

Find your funeral director in Poole who will help you arrange a cremation and give you ideas of a meaningful place to scatter your loved one's ashes.

The beautiful, golden sand and the clean waters of Sandbanks Beach could be a beautiful place to scatter the ashes of your loved one. There are also plenty of places to eat and drink, where you can gather with friends and family to celebrate the life of a loved one and raise a glass to them. 

You need to get on the A338 towards Bournemouth and Poole if you're heading to Sandbanks via car. The main car park has 532 spaces and 5 accessible parking spaces. While the car park can reach full capacity very quickly, there is now a Sandbanks park and ride service at Poole Bus Station. If you are heading to Sandbanks via bus, you can take the Breezer 50 from Bournemouth to Swanage.

There are a few beautiful spots in Sandbanks where you can scatter a loved one’s ashes. Evening Hill, for example, is a beloved viewpoint in Sandbanks. It’s just a short walk from Sandbanks Road from Lilliput shops and offers fantastic views across the Sandbanks Peninsula and even across the bay to Brownsea Island, the Purbeck Hills, and beyond.

There are plenty of places to sit, including picnic benches, which can be a lovely place to sit with your friends and family to remember your lost loved one - and maybe enjoy some Poole fish and chips. You can also watch the boats, yachts, and ships come into Poole Bay.

Poole Park is another great location and is a vast and beautiful conservation area with plenty of activities to enjoy. There are stunning views that stretch for 110 acres, including lakes and ponds inhabited by swans, making it a tranquil place to scatter your loved one’s ashes. There are also two children’s play areas, miniature golf and the Poole Park Railway, as well as activities such as jet-skiing, kayaking, rowing, and sailing on offer that you can book on the day of your visit. 

The vast, flat green fields alongside the twinkling coastline are serene and idyllic places to walk and reflect, and two free car parks provide ample parking space. However, these do get busy in summer. There is also disabled parking at the front of the park, with access to toilets and cafés. 

Finally, Canford Cliffs are between Poole and Bournemouth on Cliff Road and provide stunning views of the magnificent English Channel. Here’s a beautiful place to scatter the ashes of a loved one, especially if they enjoyed coastal walks. You and your friends and family can pack a picnic or grab some fish and chips from TJ’s to sit and reflect on the life of the person who’s died. There’s on-road parking at Canford Cliffs and plenty of benches to sit, reflect, and enjoy the view.

Studland and Godlingston Heath is the largest area of unspoiled lowland heath in Dorset and the last of such sites in the region. Its rugged, sublime beauty makes it a beautiful place to scatter your loved one’s ashes.

The best views of the heath sweep down to the shores of Poole Harbor and come from the dramatic Agglestone, which is a 400 tonne, solitary rock sitting on top of a hill. It's a fascinating feature of the heath, and legend says that supernatural forces are responsible for placing it there. The 17-foot rock is thought to be part of a band of ironstone covering the heath, including the nearby Puckstone.

Sixty years ago, a line was drawn around almost half of the Dorset landscape from the vales in the west, along the South Dorset Ridgeway, and right across to Poole Harbour in the east, and it was this line that formed Dorset’s AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Dorset AONB encompasses the finest countryside of the area, providing you with a wide range of beautiful spaces to scatter your loved one’s ashes but always seek permission from the landowner before you do.