A Bournemouth day out
Sandy beach next to the Pier
This was a semi spontaneous day out. Planned the night before without knowing what exactly we were going to do when in town or what it is we were going to see, apart from seeing the sea of course. That was a given. The reason however was that we wanted to do something special for my mum's birthday, the only reply I got when I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday was, 'somewhere pretty'. Usually our go-to 'pretty' place is RHS Wisley Gardens, however I wanted to take mum to someplace we have never been to before with new sights and experiences. At first I opened google maps and was viewing close-by coastal towns which we have not been to yet. Turns out Bournemouth was not as far as I thought. Only an hour and thirty minutes drive. Yay, road trip!
The sun was out, happy music coming out of the radio, in short the drive was lovely. I love driving on days such as this.
As we were entering the outskirts of the town, it was clearly beginning to look like a seaside haven. Roads were a bit hilly with white or pastel houses all around. Hotels for different tastes and pockets on every step, honestly you are spoiled for choice. I'm really quite looking forward to staying over sometime soon.
Driving through I was pleasantly surprised how the surroundings have reminded me of Jersey. Having happy memories of the island it was a good sign that we were going to have a wonderful time.
The first thing we did upon arriving was stroll along the promenade. I parked in a car park which was between the town centre and the beach, deciding that in the middle is the best of both worlds. A short walk and you're at the plaza, vendors of ice cream enticing you on every corner, with a big ferris wheel right in the middle. Just imagine the glorious views!
The Pier was just in front, but be warned that it is a paid entry, however if you buy one entry then you can re-enter as many times as you like throughout the year. So if you plan on coming again or you live locally, it is well worth it. We decided not to go after all, it seamed that at the end of the pier was an arcade and restaurant. Maybe next time.
Instead we turned right. Beach on the left, cafes, restaurants on the right. It was lovely seeing people enjoying the weather. I've never seen so many people sunbathing on the sand in England before.
We were walking towards Chine passing the West Cliff lift, which was built in 1908, which in itself is an amazing piece of engineering.
However we continued along the promenade going along the beach, and basking in the sun. Pops of colour here and there created a stereotypical beach postcard.
Classic beach huts, like lollipops
When at the seaside what does one eat? Fish and chips of course! We all chime together. That is exactly what we did. We dined at The Chineside, out on the terrace overlooking the sea. What gorgeous views! I wish I took more photos, especially of the food, but I was enjoying myself too much so you're just going to have to go and see for yourself. We shared a starter of whitebait, a small bitesize breaded fish which by the way you cannot just find anywhere. It was served in a mini fry basket, which I think was a lovely touch. And of course for the main course I had cod and chips battered in a wonderfully light but crispy coat with the softest and flakiest fish inside.
After a very fulfilling lunch we continued on our walk towards Poole, which we didn't even realise that we would reach the edge of a different town in the first place. I can't say that the scenery changed much, it was still beach on the left and beach huts on the right. Only varying in size and shape and decoration style. It was quite interesting sneaking peaks inside the interiors of the huts, to see what one could fit inside. This actually reminded me of a BBC program called "The Great Interior Design Challenge", there was an episode dedicated to redecorating the interior of a beach hut. My favourite was the pullout seats slash storage space. Smart, compact and practical.
the sign says it all
We reached the sign and at this point we all thought it was time to turn around and walk back but not before doing so I had to do the whole one foot in one town and the other in another. I was not expecting to see the paving change to a more rough texture right after entering Poole, like the people cared less and the therefore even the sandy beach was less kept. Of course that was not the case, just different authorities. However it was less busy, so if you wanted to get away and enjoy the beach in a more quiet place, here would be a great choice.
Now comes the second part, the town centre part. Why is it that the walk back always seem quicker? Anyway, since my mother loves flowers and gardens I read on tripadvisor that the Lower Gardens was a short walk away from the beach and a beautiful way to cross through towards the main town. Structured gardens with plenty of seats for everyone to rest on. Pine trees created lots of shade as well as wafting that wonderful pine scent all around. In the middle there is a Japanese inspired bandstand which was shut but you could see right through the panels, it seamed a shame no one was playing music on such a glorious day such as this. We took refuge from the heat higher up under the pines with an aviary chirping away in the back. Who knew that there was an aviary here? That was a pleasant surprise.
On the right is the bournemouth pavilion theatre
Time was pressing so we decided to have a quick browse through the town. The architecture that stood out to me the most was a mix between two different periods. The older Edwardian structures with their ornate iron castings and the streamline lines of the 30's. I would love to stay at an Art Deco style hotel. I've come to love this period in design, way before the remake of the "Great Gatsby" was released in 2013. I'm a Poirot fan.
We were in Bournemouth only for a few hours, but I can honestly say that I fell in love with the town and will be returning again soon so that I could enjoy the sights for longer and stay at one of the gorgeous hotels. I will update you on if or when we do.
Bye for now!
