Location

Rockley Academy is located at our flagship Rockley Point centre.

This is our original centre, founded in 1976 and based in beautiful Poole Harbour, Europe’s largest natural harbour. The centre uses some of the UK’s safest and most idyllic sailing waters. Close to the thriving port of Poole and the ancient Saxon walled town of Wareham, Rockley Point is the gateway to picturesque and historic Dorset. The centre benefits from the facilities of the adjacent Holiday Park and provides a comfortable and rewarding activity training ground.

Rockley Point is possibly the most highly regarded sailing centre in Britain. This reputation, of which we are very proud, has been earned over the years by the dedication, hard work and expertise of our members of staff.

Poole Harbour is the perfect place in Britain in which to enjoy watersports. 

Our other location, Poole Park specialises in sailing, windsurfing and kayaking, enabling our students to gain or work towards RYA and BCU certificates according to ability. 

Travelling to Rockley Academy

Poole is located on the south coast of England within easy reach of Southampton, London, Birmingham and the Midlands. We are fortunate to be served by excellent road and rail links and an International airport at Bournemouth.

For those of you with SatNav our Postcode at Rockley Point is BH15 4RW

From London and the South East

If you are driving from London or the South East, head for the M3 to Southampton, then M27 west and then Poole is an easy 40 minutes along the A31.

From the North

The A34 brings you down to the M3, from where you can join the M27 at Southampton from where it is about 40 minutes west along the A31.

From the South West

From the South West, you will find the A35 brings you from Exeter and Dorchester straight to Poole.

Once you have arrived in Poole ... 

From the A35 Upton bypass or A350 from Blandford, follow signs for “Channel Ferry” and Upton and the brown tourist information signs to Rockley Park. Travel along the B3068 Blandford Road for approximately 1.5 miles to the second set of traffic lights then turn right onto Ashmore Avenue and continue as below.

From Poole town centre follow signs for “Channel Ferry” and Upton and the brown tourist information signs to Rockley Park. Go over the lifting bridge, along the B3068 Blandford Road for about 1 mile to a set of traffic lights. Turn left onto Ashmore Avenue which then leads onto Lulworth Avenue. Continue to the end of this road where you will then turn right on to Lake Road and then left on to Napier Road. You will find the Yachtsman pub on your left. Continue along the road until you approach a mini roundabout. Go straight over the roundabout and follow this road to and through the Caravan Park. Rockley Academy is situated on the beach at  Rockley Point Sailing School.

Accomodation

Staying with us

At the end of the day, we are not offering a boutique hotel experience. Rockley Academy is a living breathing watersports centre, at the edge of Poole Harbour, Dorset with a daily influx of students, ranging from school kids to pensioners all needing to get on the water to have some fun and further their sailing experiences.

Our accommodation is simple and functional. We have shared rooms with beds, hot running water and good wholesome homecooked food. Three healthy balanced meals a day; breakfast, lunch and dinners, freshly prepared by our onsite chef. We ensure that all our residents get provided with their five-a-day and are well fed to re-fuel after a full day on the water.

Rockley Academy means getting the most out of outdoor living, with ‘al fresco’ meals, plenty of fresh air and space to relax.

All residents are grouped in their accommodation according to their age and sex. We all eat together in our communal area, which provides a convivial setting for socialising.

Other local Accommodation Options

We can also assist with other local accommodation options including B&B and Guest Houses which are located close to our sailing centre.  A wider range of accommodation or for details of local hotels can be found by contacting Poole Tourism on 01202 253253 or at  www.pooletourism.com

Mobile Home accommodation is available adjacent to the sailing centre, contact Rockley Park on 01202 679393.

FAQs

We are experts on the water!  We therefore welcome any calls or e-mails from you about your training programme or about training with us or what to do afterwards. 

Who else will be on my course? 
Our courses attract a range of people who may be novice or expert, boy or girl or aged from 16 to 60+!  But they generally are like minded in their love of watersports and in their enthusiasm for teaching.

I'm not sure about joining on my own. Are there many singles on the courses? 
Yes! Nearly everyone books as an individual. But don't worry, you will soon have plenty of new friends.

Are the qualifications guaranteed?
We guarantee to give you the training and do our very best to help you pass the assessments. Most of the certificates depend on you demonstrating your competence, so we can't give you a firm guarantee that you will pass.

What happens if I fail the assessments?
We do our best to make sure you don't, but if the worst comes to the worst you'll leave us with an action plan to complete.

How much spending money do I need?
This depends on your lifestyle!  Some of our Instructor Training Packages and Pro-Packages are inclusive of full board accommodation so you should require much in the way of extra money.

Can I get any help with funding?
For information on financial assistance for UK residents to support your training, please checkout Funding your Gap Year or Career Break. 

Should I have an insurance policy?
The last thing you need away from home is a small problem turning into a crisis because you're not properly insured. We recommend that you take out a travel insurance policy, which covers all our activities and gives you cancellation insurance for your training course.  

I am arriving from overseas to start a course in the UK. How do I get to Rockley Academy?
Travel advice can be found in our Joining Instructions and at Location.

How do I find out more?
Our phone lines are open in the UK from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday or you can chat with us via the Live Chat button.