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Photo of Swanage Central, a swimming spot in Dorset, south west England.

© Tim Marshall / Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Swanage Central

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OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles · data from OpenStreetMap · terrain Mapzen/AWS

Swanage Central is an official bathing spot in Dorset with a sandy shore. Its water quality was classed Excellent at the Environment Agency's last classification. Water quality here can dip after heavy rain. It is one of 41 bathing waters in the county. It lies inside Dorset National Landscape National Landscape.

For arrivals by rail, Corfe Castle is 7.4 km to the west. Nearby bathing waters include Studland Knoll House and Shell Bay North.

More at the Environment Agency's water quality profile

More places to visit near Swanage Central

Photo of the Dorset National Landscape, a National Landscape in Dorset, south west England.Highlight

Dorset National Landscape

You’re inside itNational Landscape near Dorchester

Chalk ridges, quiet combes and one of the finest coastlines in England, from Lyme Bay to Purbeck

Photo along the South West Coast Path, a 630-mile National Trail running from Minehead to Poole, south west England.Highlight

South West Coast Path

National Trail

630 miles around England's toe — the longest and most demanding of the National Trails.

here · spans 4 counties

Photo of Swanage, a village in Dorset, south west England.Highlight

Swanage

Village

A Victorian seaside town at the eastern end of the Purbeck, with a sandy bay, restored pier and a preserved steam railway to Corfe Castle.

0.6 km S · Dorset

Photo of the Purbeck Heritage Coast, Dorset, south west England.Highlight

Purbeck

Heritage Coast near Wareham

Dorset's "Isle" of Purbeck, a peninsula of chalk and limestone on the Jurassic Coast, with sea stacks, quarried stone and a ruined castle

0.8 km SE

Photo of Old Harry Rocks, a rock formation near Swanage, Dorset, south west England.Iconic

Old Harry Rocks

Rock formation near Swanage

Three brilliant white chalk stacks and stumps at the seaward tip of the Purbeck, marking the eastern start of the Jurassic Coast.

4 km NE

Photo of Dancing Ledge, a rock formation near Worth Matravers, Dorset, south west England.Highlight

Dancing Ledge

Rock formation near Worth Matravers

A wave-cut Purbeck quarry ledge dropping to the sea, with a small tidal pool blasted into the rock for Victorian schoolboys.

4.1 km SW