Poole is a vast coastal town with one of the busiest seaports in Britain. It is in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England, the shore of the English Channel, and on the edges of Poole Harbour. The town grew from villages or hamlets to suburbs and large neighbourhoods and merged with several other towns to form the South East Dorset conurbation.
The largest arts centre complex in the United Kingdom outside London is the Poole's Lighthouse, as it contains a cinema, concert hall, studio, theatre, image lab and media suite and galleries featuring exhibitions of contemporary photography and modern digital art. Poole also launches the Summertime in the South is an annual programme providing various events on Poole Quay and Sandbanks, such as live music, street entertainment and a large firework display.
It is easy to entertain yourself as an international student in Poole, as it houses several urban parks, and the largest is Poole Park adjacent to Poole Harbour and the town centre. Poole Harbour and Poole Bay are well-known areas for a numerous and various pursuits, including sailing, windsurfing, surfing, kitesurfing and water skiing. Because of its large natural harbour, history, the Lighthouse arts centre and Blue Flag beaches, Poole attracts international students, as it is the home of The Arts University Bournemouth, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and a significant part of Bournemouth University.
The Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) is located at Wallisdown - a residential and commercial area situated between Bournemouth and Poole. It offers undergraduate and foundation degrees, as well as postgraduate and further education courses in contemporary arts, design and media. Bournemouth and Poole College is also based at three sites in Bournemouth and Poole. Finally, Bournemouth University’s main campus and buildings - the Talbot, are within the boundaries of Poole Borough as well; it is famous for its efficient media courses. A smaller campus is situated in Bournemouth itself.
Transporting across Poole is affordable and green, as there are the circular walks of The Poole Harbour Trails for pedestrians, and the Poole Hertigage Cycle Route, the Bourne Valley Greenway, and the Castleman Trailway for cyclers. Poole has four railway stations and the most significant one is Poole railway station in the town centre and Hamworthy. The commercial port provides cross-Channel freight and passenger ferry services from Poole Harbour to Cherbourg. Also, there is the Bournemouth International Airport in Hurn, which is the nearest airport to Poole.