Continuing my series of walks in and around Bournemouth, we recently took a 3.5 mile looped walk along the promenade, through Alum Chine to Westbourne and then returning through the Central and Lower Gardens. The scenery is varied and there are some lovely cafes along the way to stop off for a bite to eat and to enjoy a little rest.
Our walk started at Pier Approach which is the gateway to Bournemouth’s seafront and connects the town centre to the beach via the pretty Lower Gardens. Bournemouth pier takes pride of place jutting out into the English Channel costing £1.30 to enter but free after 6.00 p.m. and during the winter months. An amusement arcade sits at its entrance with all the usual slot machines and arcade games associated with the seaside. A more recent addition is PierZip, a thrill seekers zip wire attraction taking riders 250 metres between the end of the pier and the beach.
Having set the scene for the start of our walk, we set off along the lower promenade to the west of the pier next to the Oceanarium. Being close to the pier, this stretch of beach is always busy and is lined with seaside amusement arcades, ice cream kiosks and the upscale West Beach seafood restaurant with its large outdoor beachside terrace.
Colourful beach huts are to be found all the way along the lower promenade and many of them can be rented by the day, week or for a longer period. With their uninterrupted views they are perfect for relaxing and watching the waves gently lap the shore. Bournemouth actually invented the modern day beach hut over 100 years ago and boasts some of the oldest surviving ones in the country. The first of the town’s beach huts was built in 1909 and has been marked with a Blue Plaque.
Along this stretch of coast are numerous densely wooded chines which are small river valleys formed by the continuous flow of streams running over the cliff edge. The chines are unique to the Dorset coast and the Isle of Wight with each of the ones in Bournemouth having access up to the town via steep paths.
It took us just ten minutes strolling along the seafront to reach the first, known as Durley Chine which provides a scenic backdrop to its wide golden sands which gently slope down to the sea. As the water is safe and shallow this beach is a popular choice for families. Overlooking the beach is the stylish Chineside cafe/restaurant, a pub and ice cream kiosk.
Our walk then took us to Middle Chine, the smallest of the chines and roughly half way between Durley and Alum Chine. It may be smaller but its extremely pretty with its beach huts arranged in rows along the cliffs.
On reaching Alum Chine we followed a footpath just to the east of the car park. Much of the chine is covered in pines and woodland attracting several species of birds and red and white butterflies which were fluttering beside the path. This fairly steep uphill slope skirts a pirate themed children’s playground before reaching the tranquil gardens.
Bournemouth Tropical Gardens were first planted in the early 1920’s with major replanting and landscaping taking place in the mid 1990’s. Lying in a sheltered position with the cliff for protection, a wide variety of tropical and sub-tropical plants including Chusan Palms and Yuccas can thrive there.
An information board in the gardens explained how Alum Chine got its name. Interestingly, this was after a small mine established here in 1564 to extract alum and copperas. The alum was used in manufacturing and medicine whilst the copperas (ferrous sulphate) was used for dye-making and ink.
Close by, we passed the Argyll Gardens Bowling Green before reaching West Overcliff Drive which took us into the affluent suburb of Westbourne. This is one of my favourite parts of Bournemouth with its attractive centre retaining a village feel. Its two main streets are lined with many small independent shops and cafes and these are linked by the beautiful Westbourne Arcade.
This stunning Victorian arcade with its symmetrical facades of red brick and stone at either end and a glazed roof has been well preserved and contains an eclectic mix of shops and cafes including the wonderful Renoufs Pantry. With more than 200 types of cheese on offer, it’s foodie heaven for me and definitely worth popping in to take a look.
Another ‘must visit’ place in Westbourne is Chez Fred just outside the arcade on Seamoor Road. Run by three generations of the same family, it’s been serving up award winning fish and chips since 1989. There’s both a takeaway and restaurant but be warned, you will probably need to queue awhile to be seated but the wait is definitely worthwhile as the food is delicious.
Lining the restaurant’s wall are photos of famous people who gave dined there whilst visiting the town. These range from celebrities appearing at Bournemouth’s theatres to politicians attending their annual conferences.
After our shopping and cafe stop, we were ready to return to Bournemouth by a different but equally attractive route. From the converted supermarket chapel on the corner of Poole and Milburn Roads we turned into Westbourne Close. Our stroll then took us onto the delightfully named Pine Tree Glen which led us past St. Michael’s church and through a short under-road tunnel onto Surrey Road.
Slightly further and we had arrived at the far end of the Central Gardens where we wandered along a footpath beside the Bourne stream. These gardens are attractive with their many weeping willow trees and formal flowerbeds and much quieter than the Lower Gardens were our walk would take us next.
Soon after passing the tennis courts and a children’s adventure playground we were approaching the end of the gardens with the majestic town hall to one side and war memorial in the centre.
On leaving the gardens we walked through the town’s bustling square before crossing a narrow road (beware of buses here) into the Lower Gardens. These gardens, linking the town centre with the seafront have several small cafes, a mini-golf course, aviary and a bandstand where music can frequently be enjoyed during the summer months.
A few steps further and the Big Wheel had come into sight and we had completed our looped walk to Westbourne. I hope you have enjoyed this walk and might be inspired to take this route if you are visiting Bournemouth sometime.
If you have enjoyed reading this post, you may also like:
A walk from Bournemouth to Boscombe
A walk around Hengistbury Head, Dorset
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How lovely Marion. So much to comment on here, loved the shops, church, gardens and everything else. x
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It was a lovely walk Sue with so much variety made even better with some sunshine. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Marion
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Having lived in Bmth for quite a few years and lived near the chines we have walked down them many times. Am sure the chines were formed back in the Ice Ages by the thawing of ice washing away rock and soil.
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Ah how interesting. Thank you.
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Lovely
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Thank you
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The weather looks great and I particularly love the beach huts!
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We were so fortunate with the weather at the August bank holiday Hannah. Bournemouth is a lively seaside resort. Hope your week is going well, it’s so nice to hear from you. Marion
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Cheese emporium and fish’n’chips! A fine taste of summer, Marion.Makes me hungry just looking at it.
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It sure did me as well! Thanks so much for commenting. Marion
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Such a great experience 💖💖💖
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It is a very pleasant walk, I’m so pleased that you enjoyed reading about it.
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A lovely walk to take with you this morning! The arcade is so beautiful with those archways and the brickwork! And the colorful beach huts are just begging for visitors to stroll by them. My day is off to a great start with such a lovely walk 🙂
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Thanks Meg for your kind words. The arcade is beautiful and the beach huts so bright and cheerful in Bournemouth. Marion xx
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I think you know, Marion, just how much I love this part of Bournemouth. Your post reminded me that’s it’s really time for me to return to Westbourne! Strangely, although I know the majority of places you have described, I have yet to visit the cheese emporium. This must be rectified!
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I think the cheese shop is relatively new June and I also spotted they had opened a branch in Christchurch. Do please let me know when you will be there and we can perhaps meet up. Marion
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I would love to meet up when I’m next n the area, Marion. I’m sure we’d have fun chatting!
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Great post and amazing photos! The coastal views around the UK are one of the reasons why I would be eager to explore your part of the world, Marion, especially places like Bournemouth Pier where you can soak up the sun and go for a ride on The Big Wheel. Thanks for sharing, and have a nice day. I hope your trip around Ireland and Northern Ireland is going well 🙂 Aiva xx
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Bournemouth is a great seaside resort Aiva and U hope you are able to visit sometime. We’re up on the Causeway Coast now and loving every minute. Marion xx
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I’m glad to hear that 🥰
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Love those beach houses and wish we had something similar in Australia.
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The beach houses are so typically English and I’m so pleased they have been retained.
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A beautiful place to be taking a walk! You’re very fortunate to be close by to do so. 🙂
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It’s a lovely place for a stroll by the seaside Rebecca and Westbourne is such a welcoming neighbourhood with its small shops and cafes.
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A lovely walk indeed. Bournemouth has long been a place I’ve wanted to visit. Have always had a soft spot for those colourful beach huts too. Reckon I’d be distracted in that cheese shop for a while.
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Bournemouth is a very attractive town and it’s so pleasing that the tradition of Victorian beach huts continues to brighten up our promenades.
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Such a wonderful place 😍
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Thank you, I’m glad to read you enjoyed it.
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Looks like you had fabulous weather for your stroll. I love all the colourful beach huts along the seafront and the Bournemouth Tropical Gardens. Have a wonderful weekend. Linda
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Beach huts are traditionally British Linda and look so bright and cheerful along our seafronts although we don’t actually ever use them! It was such a pleasant walk and without really noticing, we covered quite a distance. Hope your weekend is going well too. Marion
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Excellent walk Marion to pass by life as it goes on. I never really understood the beach huts, but I suppose they give many a brief chance to rent a piece of seaside, rather than having the rich all build cottages. The chine topography makes for an interesting coastline and there are so many interesting restaurants and food shops. Thanks for taking us along Marion. Happy Saturday. Allan
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Thank you for taking an interest in this post on my walk through Bournemouth Allan. British beach huts started in Victorian times and have become a fixture of our promenades in numerous resorts up and down the country. Hope you are having a good weekend. Marion
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Nice walk. But busy there in comparison to our coast.
Thanks for sharing
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thank you for taking an interest in this post. We were in Bournemouth around the bank holiday and it did seem very busy then.
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What a lovely walk Marion! I love the view of Bournemouth Pier and all those colourful beach huts. And what a surprise to also find the Tropical Gardens on your route and then a peaceful walk next to the Bourne Stream … I will probably get stuck for some time at that amazing cheese shop!
Thanks Marion, I’ve enjoyed this Saturday morning walk with you 😁. Have a great weekend. Corna
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It was a lovely walk through Bournemouth Corna but very tame by your standards. The cheese shop was so good, I could have bought so much! Hope you both have a good weekend too! Marion
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Sometimes a stroll is all you need 😉.
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