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What's the story here?

Ridge Wharf Yacht Centre is a boatyard and drying marina on the south bank of the River Frome, about ½ mile upstream of Swineham Point, where the river properly opens, and 5 miles west of Poole.

It has 170 pontoon berths and can accommodate craft from 5 to 15.2 metres LOA. The channel through the River Frome is navigable to Ridge Wharf Yacht Centre for moderately sized craft drawing up to 1.5 metres, with 1.4 metres more advisable, and an approach at high water ± 1 hour. Ridge Wharf Yacht Centre Quay has as little as 0.8 metres chart datum. However, low water rarely falls below 1.2 metres except under very low river flow conditions. Most berths dry out to soft, forgiving mud.



The marina has only a limited number of berths, and visitor space depends on vacant resident berths; the charges are as follows:

Visitor Berthing [2026]

• • Per day up to 7.5m £32-00, then £2-20 per ½m


• • Per week up to 7.5m £146-00, then £5-20 per ½m

Non-resident visiting vessels in Poole Harbour waters are subject to Poole Harbour Commissioners' dues (approx. £1.07/m per day) if not previously settled. Negotiated weekly or monthly short-term visitor rates are available on request through the yard office. VAT is included.




Because berths are limited and require a vacant permanent berth to be available, you must be confirmed. Contact the marina in advance before proceeding upriver. Office hours: Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00; Sat–Sun 09:30–13:00. Call +44 (0)1929 552650, admin@ridgewharf.co.uk or via the Ridge Wharf contact form .

How to get in?

The approaches to the entrance, with its tidal flow, are detailed in Navigating Poole Harbour . Ridge Wharf Yacht Centre lies on the south bank of the River Frome.




Berth as directed by the marina's berthing officer. If you have not made prior arrangements and want to try your luck, come alongside the riverside pontoon and make enquiries.

Why visit here?

Ridge Wharf almost certainly takes its name from the small settlement of Ridge, on the River Frome's south bank, east of Wareham. The boatyard is at Ridge, and historic wharves were commonly named for the localities they served. This was especially true here, as the Ridge Wharf site began life as a loading wharf for transhipping Purbeck clay. Until around 1900, a light railway transported clay from the weathering beds of Furzebrook, 3 km away, to Ridge Wharf. It was a major trading wharf handling clay quarried in the Purbeck Hills.




Purbeck Ball Clay has been used for thousands of years, but large-scale commercial extraction began in the mid-18th century. The clay was transported by horse to Wareham, from where it was shipped by barge to Poole Harbour. When William Pike signed a contract in 1791 to supply the legendary Staffordshire Wedgwood pottery, the volume of clay gradually rose in the following decades, eventually overwhelming the capacity of the established horse-drawn system.




The solution came from a company called the 'Pike Bros', William Pike's sons, in the shape of a narrow-gauge industrial railway. The practice of transporting clay by light rail had long been established by the 'Pike Bros' nearest competitor, Benjamin Fayle. As early as 1806, he had built the Middlebere Plateway, Dorset's first railway, to carry his clay to Middlebere Wharf on the southern shore of Poole Harbour. Following this example, the 'Pike Bros' set about building their own light railway to transport clay from their Furzebrook workings to the newly created Ridge Wharf.




The Furzebrook Railway, also known locally as the 'Pike Brothers' Tramway', was built in 1840 to transport clay from the pits around Grange Gate. It ran northeast, crossing the road to Kimmeridge Bay, then turned north for the final couple of miles to the processing works, storage depot, and loading pier at Ridge Wharf. There, the clay was loaded onto barges and taken to Poole Harbour, where it was transferred to sea-going ships before completing its journey to the Wedgwood factories in Staffordshire.

The line was engineered with a continuous 1:30 gradient, allowing loaded clay wagons to reach the wharf by gravity while horses hauled the empty wagons back. As the wagons approached Ridge, a pair of catch points would engage a sledge brake on one wagon, bringing the train to a stop. On one occasion, the brakeman failed to reset the points, and the train careered straight through the catch points and off the end of the pier. The wagons then went straight through the bottom of a waiting barge. In 1866, a steam locomotive, 'Primus', was introduced to haul the empty wagons back, greatly increasing capacity. Eventually, seven steam locomotives were used, all named after Latin numerals.




In 1902, interchange sidings were built between Corfe Castle and Worgret Junction at Furzebrook, and at Norden, for Goathorn Point's 'Newton Tramway', to enable the ball clay to be exported via the Wareham to Swanage branch line, established in 1885. At the time, they built a new locomotive shed and workshop at the interchange point.




The wartime government commandeered the Ridge branch in 1940 and closed it. During the war, it served as a build-and-repair centre for torpedo boats. After the war, the Ridge section never reopened, but the rest of the system, including its outlying mines and clay-pits, continued operating until 1956, when it was finally closed. By then, road transport had rendered the tramway unnecessary. British Rail kept the three-mile line between Worgret Junction and Furzebrook operational to export oil and gas from the Wytch Farm oilfield until 2005.




Ridge Wharf Marina and Boatyard was established on the site in 1965. The same family carefully managed it for more than 35 years, during which time it expanded to offer a wide range of services. The line's engine shed at Ridge remains visible today and is a listed building. The route from Ridge to Furzebrook can still be traced on the ground and on maps. The second Furzebrook Railway train, Secundus, is displayed at the Swanage Railway Museum at Corfe Castle station. No. 28 wagon, one of the 100 wagons built locally for the Furzebrook Tramway and an example of an 1865 sledge-braked design, also survives. It is on display at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn, North Wales.




For visiting boaters, Ridge Wharf offers a secluded rural berth in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Its quiet, relaxed, enchanting setting feels a world away, making it easy to enjoy a peaceful stay and a good night's sleep. With its highly capable yard, it's also an ideal place to have repairs carried out.

Being only a thirty-minute walk from Wareham, half of this along a delightful riverside walk, and marginally deeper than the town quay, it is a good place to explore the historic town detailed in the Wareham entry. For those who would prefer not to walk, or are intent on re- provisioning, Wareham is just a mile and a half upriver by dinghy.

What facilities are available?

Shore power and water are available on the pontoons, with toilets and showers ashore. The fuel dock sells diesel and unleaded petrol, and you can buy gas cylinders from the Marina office. The site also has a self-launch slipway for vessels up to 6.2 metres.




The yard has a 25-tonne travelling hoist and provides winter lay-up facilities ashore, including a storage area for trailer boats. The marina has a fully serviced boatyard with an on-site chandler and a wide range of specialist services, including full subcontractor back-up for rigging, engineering, sailmaking, etc. Hardstanding winter lay-up (afloat or ashore) and undercover boat storage.




Ridge Wharf Visitor Dining Options
Ridge Wharf Yacht Centre has no on-site restaurant or cafe, but visiting boaters have several excellent dining options within walking distance, by bike, or on a short trip upstream by tender.

The Kings Arms: Historic 17th-century thatched gastro-pub serving local seafood and real ales, ~15–20 min walk.
+44 (0)1929 552705 | thekingsarmsatstoborough@hotmail.com
Address: Corfe Road, Stoborough, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5AB.


The Old Granary: Landmark riverfront pub and restaurant on Wareham Quay serving all-day modern British food, 1.5 miles upstream.
+44 (0)1929 552010 | oldgranary.wareham@hall-woodhouse.co.uk
Address: The Quay, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4LP.


The Quay Inn: Traditional 18th-century pub on Wareham Quay offering pub classics and cask ales.
+44 (0)1929 552735 | info@thequayinn.com
Address: The Quay, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4LP.


The Italian Kitchen: Waterfront restaurant on Wareham Quay featuring wood-fired pizzas and classic Italian dishes.
+44 (0)1929 550990 | info@theitaliankitchendorset.com
Address: 37 South Street, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4LR.

The 29029: A refined Nepalese and Indian restaurant in Wareham.
+44 (0)1929 556959 | +44 (0)7469 953506 | info@the29029restaurant.co.uk
Address: Sandford Road, Sandford, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 7DD.


Poole Harbour Useful & Emergency Contacts
Ridge Wharf Yacht Centre:
+44 (0)1929 552650 (Office Hours: Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 09:30–13:00) | admin@ridgewharf.co.uk | office@ridgewharf.co.uk | [website]www.ridgewharf.co.uk | Ridge Wharf contact form .
Address: Ridge Wharf Yacht Centre, Ridge, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5BG.

Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC / Harbour Master): For general harbour inquiries, harbour dues, and Vessel Traffic Services.
+44 (0)1202 440 200 | pooleharbourcommissioners@phc.co.uk | Poole Harbour Commissioners | Ch. 14 [Poole Harbour Control / VTS]
Address: 20 New Quay Road, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4AF.


Harbour Control Officer: For any emergency within the harbour.
+44 (0)1202 440 230 | harbourcontrol@phc.co.uk | Ch. 14 (or 16) [Poole Harbour Control]

Poole Bridge:	+44 (0)1202 674 115	Customs & Excise:	+44 (0)1202 685 157
Police:	+44 (0)1202 552 099 (Ext. 3276)	Doctor:	+44 (0)1202 679 234
Dentist:	+44 (0)1202 672 138	Hospital:	+44 (0)1202 665 511
Chemist:	+44 (0)1202 678 001	Dolphin Taxi:	+44 (0)1202 777 879
Tourist Information:	+44 (0)1202 253 253

With thanks to:

John Binder, CMM, Poole Quay Boat Haven & Port of Poole Marina manager.