The view from the Brittany Ferry as it leaves Poole Harbour on route to Cherbourg in France. The white chalk stacks at the end of the headland are a famous landmark known as 'Old Harry Rocks', part of a chalk seam that once stretched from Purbeck to the Isle of Wight. The coastline from here to Lyme Regis in Dorset, and on to Exmouth in Devon, forms the Jurassic Coast, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Swanage virtual tour with a 360° panorama of 'Old Harry Rocks' linked to a Google map. A Swanage attractions travel guide.

There are daily sailings from Poole in Dorset to Cherbourg in France. During the first part of the crossing, the ferry traverses Poole Harbour and past Brownsie Island before leaving the harbour entrance passing the Sandbanks Ferry. From here the Bournemouth / Poole bay opens up and passengers get a good view of the long beaches of Sandbanks, Bournemouth, Shell Bay and Studland. The beaches at Studland end in dramatic chalk cliffs and Old Harry Rocks, shown clearly in this picture off the starboard side of the ferry. This coastline slowly recedes into the distance as the ferry passes the Isle of Wight en route to France.