Anyone from Bournemouth and surrounds, come talk to me!

[chipshopswearsheselvis]

I spent every family holiday in Boscombe as a child and loved it. I am very excited that I am finally taking my DCs there next week (I haven't been since 1996!). We're going to be staying in Alum Chine, so the opposite side to what I'm used to.
Please can people tell me the must-do stuff with my DC's? They are 8 and 12. And any family friendly places to eat (ideally with outside seating). The DCs are v active, we'll be in a car so we can head further afield as needed.

I'm looking forward to seeing if Boscombe gardens is still teaming with friendly squirrels!

Anyone?

thread on where to eat In Bournemouth

Please be careful if you go to Boscombe Gardens as there have been stabbings & other crimes recently... that part of Boscombe is known for its drug problems & prostitution.
However Boscombe Gardens are attractive to look at so if you really want to go then go as a group in the middle of the day & avoid any quiet areas. Best to park on the cliff top nearby & use a parking meter.
If you want to visit the shops in Boscombe High Street from the Gardens I would suggest driving up the hill rather than walking through the Crescent area.
Park in the Sovereign Centre multi-storey or in the car park behind Sainsbury.
There's some nice cafes, a large Primark, a lovely old Arcade with a handful of shops leading to the Sovereign Centre which has more shops.
Walking towards Pokesdown Station there's lots of interesting vintage & antique shops.

Alum Chine end of Bournemouth where you're staying is lovely.
Westbourne is a villagey area nearby worth a look round with lots of eateries & boutiques.
Compton Acres past Branksome Chine is really nice to visit to see the gardens & have lunch.

Bournemouth has nice Gardens (and they are definitely full of squirrels!!), & an Aquarium.
The BH2 building with the Odeon cinemas & lots of restaurants plus indoor golf for families is new & you will find that Bournemouth generally has a real city feel now as the skyline has changed hugely. Personally I like it.
The beaches are as beautiful & safe as ever.

One thing you will notice is that sadly the whole area has a large very visible homeless population, every empty shop doorway (there are lots more empty shops since Covid) has bedding in it.
But I think it's the same in most large towns.

I recommend driving to Hengistbury Head as well, you could walk to the beach huts at Mudeford & get takeaway pizza & ice creams from the Beach house & the kids can explore.

I'm sorry I'm not good at suggesting activities for your children's age groups as the only children I know are toddlers!
But I used to enjoy the beach at that age definitely.

Actually just thought, if you go to Christchurch Harbour you can hire kayaks etc to take on the river, plus at Iford which is halfway between Boscombe & Christchurch there's an amazing Crazy Golf at the Play Golf centre with huge volcanoes, they make nice pizzas there too.

Skibobs and ringos are fun at Snowtrax .

You could take a boat trip from Poole out to Brownsea Island, a river and steam train trip, Poole Harbour has some nice shops.
www.getyourguide.co.uk/activity/poole-l91929/from-poole-steam-train-and-sea-cruise-adventure-t298310?_gl=1%2aabdee7%2a_gcl_aw%2aR0NMLjE1OTc1MjEwOTguRUFJYUlRb2JDaE1JbV9faTZmMmQ2d0lWaDZ6dENoM1pkZ19RRUFBWUFTQUFFZ0pXVXZEX0J3RQ..&utm_force=0

I'm biased as I come from Poole (have family there still) though sadly don't live there. Brownsea Island is great! Studland beach, Poole Park, sandbanks (windsurfing). Poole is beautiful! I was a teenager in the late 80s and Boscombe was always the poor relation - a bit run down/drug issues etc (sorry!)

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brownsea-island/features/visiting-brownsea-island-what-you-need-to-know

The weather isn't looking that great at the moment, you could drive out to Lyme Regis which is interesting if they like fossils and fossil hunting, Dorchester has a dinasaur museum. Corfe and Wareham are nice little places to visit for a day.

Kimmeridge for fossil hunting and Lulworth castle are both great. I love Alum beach, but the car park is small so got to be the early to get a spot. Paultons theme park is towards Southampton and a great day out. Monkey World is also good. Plus plenty of nice walks in the New Forest, Bolderwood car park area is good.

Thanks all, that's really helpful. It's really sad to hear that about Boscombe. I have such fond memories of strolling through Boscombe gardens on a summer evening, down towards the pier.
I'm glad I chose a hotel on the other side, but will head over the way one afternoon for old times sake!

The squirrels are still there but mainly the grey variety these days, back in the day when I was a kid there were hundreds of red squirrells in Boscombe gardens.
I'd add Moors Valley into the places to go too x

@Mumtumwobble

I think Paultons is now Peppa Pig World?

i think actually peppa pig world is at Paultons park but no biggie, it's just off J2 on the M27 and there's a mcdonald's nearby there as well.

moors valley country park might be worth considering. basically if you head out of bournemouth on the A338 spur road and go straight on at the roundabout where it meets the A31, it's just up there.

and of course the New Forest is on the doorstep!

@IamMaz a small part is Peppa Pig World, but the rest of the park is bigger rides. It’s all in one.

We’ve just come back from holiday in Bournemouth with our teens!

Beaches were lovely but VERY busy. We avoided the main beach and took the ferry over towards Swanage. Found a lovely beach called Knoll Bay which was a bit quieter but not much.

Go to Monkey World near Wareham, it was fab.

There is a great virtual reality place in Bournemouth town centre that my dds loved.

We ate out a lot - favourite restaurants were Funki Griller (expensive though), Mandarin Chinese on Old Christchurch Road and Ojo Rojo for Mexican food (not so good for kids though).

We found a great little tea room called Frieda’s just off Old Christchurch Road. Great all day breakfast, sandwiches, afternoon teas etc. I recommend phoning to book as it’s quite small.

The gardens in Bournemouth are lovely for a wander and crazy golf.

Take the chain link ferry to Swanage

Keep an eye out for all the empty cruise liners hanging around, Bournemouth way and loads in Weymouth Bay (Ringstead Beach is the best place to see them)

Oh and there’s a good cafe on the main sea front with outside seating. Great New Forest ice creams! And there is a big wheel there too.

We went to Corfe Castle one day via a steam train from Swanage. Bit of a pain to get to as you drive past the castle to get to Swanage 😂 But the train was really fun.

Do your dc like horses? We booked horse riding at Eastmoors Riding School near St Leonard’s (about 25 mins inland from Bournemouth). Very well run and good for beginners.

Just remembered - Urban Reef restaurant in Boscombe is fabulous. Open for breakfast, lunch or dinner - you can sit upstairs and enjoy great sea views. Food and service was excellent (book online via their website).