Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a seaside resort town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. Bournemouth is known for its popularity with pensioners and has many residential care homes due to its constant and warm weather (by English terms). However, it is still possible to find vibrant nightlife and youthful activities like watersports.



Understand
Bournemouth's spa magic has been revitalised and history is repeating itself. A century ago the cream of Victorian society including royalty flocked to Bournemouth's pine forest landscape of luxurious villas.

They were eager to sample the relaxing ambience of the town, breathe its healthy air, bathe in the pure seawater and unwind at leisure. In Tess of the D'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy generously described Bournemouth (alias Sandbourne) as "a Mediterranean lounging place on the English Channel". The aroma and perfume of the pine trees were considered health-giving and many a famous person came here to take advantage of it including J.R.R. Tolkien and D.H. Lawrence.

The first spa hotel was built in 1885: the Mont Dore Hotel (now Bournemouth's Town Hall). Apart from luxury rooms and tennis courts, the hotel also offered the Mont Dore cure which was said to be a healing water and could not be found anywhere else in England. Sea and pure water from the Bourne stream were pumped into the basement of the hotel to allow the additional luxury of soaking and perspiring in Turkish and salt baths.

Since then, Bournemouth has grown into a thriving seaside resort and many of the big hotels offer spa treatments of their own as well as spa and beauty boutiques peppered throughout the town centre catering for men and women.

The pine trees still exist and visitors can still stroll through Pine Walk in Bournemouth Gardens today to breathe in the healthy air. During the summer, the Pine Walk Open Air Art Exhibition is held here.

Bournemouth's growing population of students, gays and surfers have given it a more bohemian image than a typical south coast retirement town, leading to the nickname "BoMo".

Climate
Bournemouth is famous for its year-round mild and temperate climate. The warmest months are May to September which is when you will enjoy long, hot and sunny days. It can get very cold in the depths of winter though, and will sometimes reach temperatures below zero. Bournemouth's annual rainfall is well below the national average.

Visitor information

 * Bournemouth visitor information website

By car
Unless travelling from the South-West of England most journeys by road will be via the M27 which turns into the dual-carriageway A31 and passes through the New Forest. At Ringwood look for the (A338) Bournemouth exit.

Care is necessary when entering into Bournemouth on the Wessex Way as there are numerous speed cameras.

Only those with a penchant for long queues of congestion should think about arriving at mid-day/early afternoon on a warm and sunny day! It is strongly advised to either get there very early or even arrive the evening beforehand otherwise you will be sitting in traffic for a considerable length of time on the A31.

By train


CrossCountry trains from Manchester via Birmingham New Street terminate at Bournemouth and some trains arrive from other cities like Nottingham and Newcastle upon Tyne. Summer sees a wider variety of places linked directly to Bournemouth.

By bus
National Express bus from London Victoria direct (approx. 2½ hours).

By taxi
There are a couple of Bournmouth-based taxi companies providing long-distance transfers from major airports, towns, bus and rail stations to Bournemouth.

By plane


Bournemouth Airport has no train station however shuttle bus services operate.

You can fly to Southampton Airport and take the train into Bournemouth (35-45 min £12.50).

Get around
Bournemouth is small enough to walk around, but a local bus service operates frequently within the town centre.

The main bus operator is the "blue" More buses, whose routes extend over the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area. The main stops are at the rail station and the Square.

Taxis are available.

The station is a hike (10 or 15 minutes, uphill) from the centre, so consider transport.

Orientation
The Square is the name given to the open space where the Tourist Information office is, the main gardens are, the pier can be accessed, and the river Bourne empties (although it is not in fact particularly square). It is naturally the lowest point in central Bournemouth, so you can generally aim for it by walking downhill.

The main shopping area is due inland/north from the Square. Old Christchurch Road (note the 'Old') marks the upper limit of the main shopping area. Holdenhurst Road, leading from Old Christchurch Road to the station, is a student area of late-night takeaways. Christchurch Road (without the "Old") is a very long road leading out of the town centre to the town of the same name several miles to the west, with the Boscombe and Pokesdown strung along it.

West Cliff is the clifftop, seafront area overlooking the Square, where there is a collection of upmarket hotels and the International Centre.

The Triangle, Bournemouth's gay village and specialist shopping area, is up Commercial Road from the Square.

Further west is Westbourne, a very twee and cute area of boutiques and cafes, mostly along Seamoor Road, and its associated arcade. Popular with an older clientele, it is not particularly jumping at night.

West Bournemouth eventually merges with Poole. About halfway between them and worth a visit is Lower Parkstone, a small area of specialist shops and trendy eateries that resembles a mini-Brighton.

Boscombe, an up-and-coming suburb of Bournemouth is to the east which has pleasant Victorian architecture and a selection of shops and eateries. The O2 Academy and antique shops (particularly toward the Pokesdown end) are the main draws

See


Bournemouth is famous for its 7 miles of golden sandy beaches and clean seas. The beach has retained the international Blue Flag award status since it was introduced in 1996 and in 2011 also secured 4 Blue Flag awards for Alum Chine beach, Durley Chine beach, Fisherman’s Walk beach and Southbourne beach.

The Pier is almost in the middle of the beach and offers a small fair, boat trips, an arcade, a café/bar and some other shops.

Do

 * Football:
 * Cricket and bowls are played by a lot of locals and are easy to get involved in.
 * Swimming, windsurfing and kitesurfing are popular as is regular surfing to a lesser extent.
 * Football:
 * Cricket and bowls are played by a lot of locals and are easy to get involved in.
 * Swimming, windsurfing and kitesurfing are popular as is regular surfing to a lesser extent.
 * Swimming, windsurfing and kitesurfing are popular as is regular surfing to a lesser extent.

Events

 * Arts by the Sea is an arts and culture festival in many town locations, in late Sep/early Oct.
 * Arts by the Sea is an arts and culture festival in many town locations, in late Sep/early Oct.
 * Arts by the Sea is an arts and culture festival in many town locations, in late Sep/early Oct.
 * Arts by the Sea is an arts and culture festival in many town locations, in late Sep/early Oct.

Buy
Bournemouth has a good range of shops with mainly well-known high street outlets in the centre but also many independent shops. Examples of large stores are Dingles and Marks & Spencers. The Boscombe area is well known for its many antique shops and for those who are into designer, vintage, and specialist clothes, Westbourne offers a good variety of designer boutiques.

For out of town shopping the massive Castlepoint Shopping centre is easily accessible by public transport, although there is little else to do in the area.

Eat
Bournemouth has many different restaurants suiting different tastes and budgets. The Old Christchurch Road at the "top" of the main shopping area has a string of low to mid-range eateries alternating with your orientated bars and clubs. There is another crop of eateries in the West Cliff area (around the International Centre), and in the Triangle, and in Westbourne. The number of takeaways in Bournemouth has also increased over the years, offering a cheap alternative to a restaurant meal.

Budget
In the city centre you find the usual chain restaurants like JD Wetherspoon, Taco Bell, Greggs (bakery) and Franco Manca.



Drink
At night the town comes alive with a vibrant bar and club scene. It is one of Britain's most popular clubbing locations, with many stag and hen parties held in Bournemouth. There are over 50 nightclub venues which are open every day of the week. On busy clubnights, roughly 40,000 people are out in Bournemouth. The Triangle area in Bournemouth (5 minutes walk up Commercial St from the main square) is where the gay community is concentrated with several gay-friendly clubs and pubs. Most night clubs are in and around town centre, with the exception of the O2 Academy in Boscombe. Old style pubs are at a premium in the centre with the emphasis more on trendy bars. Those fancying an ale pub crawl are advised to do by bus: the Goat, Porterhouse and Bermuda Triangle (see below) are all near stops.



Stay safe
There is an absolutely incredible number of stag and hen parties passing through the centre during the summer, but they tend to be loud rather than dangerous. Drunken youths tend to congregate in Old Christchurch Rd late at night &mdash; it is safe the rest of the time.

Connect
As of March 2022, Bournemouth has 4G from EE and O2, and 5G from Three and Vodafone.



Go next

 * The very well-heeled town of Christchurch is about a 15-minute journey east of Bournemouth. It is a couple of hours of very pleasant walking along the cliffs. The Regent Arts Centre tends to be the main attraction. If you do not yacht, you may not fit in!
 * Poole, a similar distance to west boasts a long shopping street and the atmosphere of a working port and fishing town. It can be used a stop-off for a sea journey to Brownsea Island, Purbeck, Swanage, etc. The Lighthouse arts centre is the cultural magnet.
 * Corfe Castle - approximately 1½ hours away by bus through Sandbanks, the 4th most expensive post code in the world and the Isle of Purbeck, which is part of a World Heritage coastal zone. One option is to take the open top bus via the Sandbanks ferry in the summer for approx £5 from central Bournemouth and change at Swanage.
 * The New Forest - half an hour way to the east