Sandbanks

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Sandbanks Ferry, looking towards Sandbanks

Sandbanks is a small peninsula jutting out over the mouth of Poole Harbour near Bournemouth in the south of England. It contains one of the most highly awarded and popular beaches in Europe. Sandbanks, whose main road is known as 'millionaires row', is only 1km², and has the fourth highest land value, by area, in the world. ^[1]. There are exclusive homes both on Sandbanks and across the immediate region, stretching east from the Harbour to The Avenue (the eastern boundary of Poole). The adjacent areas of Lilliput and Canford Cliffs, also have the largest collection of expensive properties outside London and are home to many celebrities. In 2005 a modest bungalow on the peninsula sold for three million pounds, despite its state of disrepair^[2]. The Sandbanks and Canford Cliff Coastline area has been labeled by national media as Britain's equivalent of the coastlines of the Gold Coast, Australia and Orange County, California.

Aside from 3 miles of beach, Sandbanks is also host to several four star hotels including the historically important Haven Hotel, constructed some 100 years ago on the site of a previous hotel, which was both the home and centre of wireless experiments by Marconi in the late 1890's, being the third place in the world to boast a permanent wireless station.

Sandbanks is connected to Studland by a chain ferry, the Sandbanks Ferry, which runs across the mouth of the Harbour. The North side of the spit is widely used for watersports and by light marina craft. The North side also boasts several sailing, watersport and yacht clubs and is home to the Southern Headquarters of the Royal Yachting Association ^[3] and an international sailing school.

Views from the North extend across Poole Harbour and to Poole. From the South views extend across the English Channel and to the world heritage coastline of Studland and Swanage to the East.