The warmest sea of the year, the crowds gone and the best light on the harbour.
September is the month regulars quietly keep to themselves.
See Poole in autumn.
Swim, mainly. September often brings the warmest sea of the year with a fraction of August's crowds, alongside quieter beaches, excellent walking light and lower accommodation prices.
Poole's crowds follow the school calendar and the weather: July and August are the peak, with half terms and bank holidays busy in miniature. Outside those, the beaches and the Quay are noticeably calmer.
Sandbanks hotels, harbourside flats a street back from the Quay and the quieter beds out at Hamworthy and Broadstone, with the areas each one suits.