Coast for 2 days - Poole or Bournemouth

[ThePenIsBlue]

I’d like to pop away with the kids for a night or 2 in august, and want to go somewhere with a sandy beach so we can play/ paddle etc. I live approx 2 hours from Bournemouth, have never been. It will be me alone with 4 kids as my DH can’t get away with work, so I’d like somewhere with nice beach cafes/ diners/ boardwalk maybe. Don’t want to go to Weston super mare which is closer because it’s pebbly and a little bit too arcadey for me!

what’s Bournemouth like? How about Poole? Any suggestions of places to stay/ beaches to go to? Is it easy to park? It’s a bit overwhelming thinking of going alone with the kids so trying to make sure I’m prepared mentally!

What about Swanage instead? Or Weymouth. Both smaller than Bournemouth & Poole and both child friendly.

I think it will be very busy. They do have sandy beaches. But not a laid back kind of break.

Woolacombe is very nice,is that too far? Or South East Devon.

The isle of wight is very sandy on the south side especially with an old fashioned vibe.

Both of those are about 40 mins further for me….

Sorry was replying to swanage/ Weymouth suggestion!

Devon is a too far for a night or two as well 😞

I’ve always wanted to go to isle of wight but that seems more something to do with my DH

I love Poole, but it’s a pretty scrappy town with a nice harbour area. Bournemouth is right on the beach. But all the way along the coast between Poole and Bournemouth is continuous beach, and lots of those places might have hotels etc. The area is divided up into smaller areas called “chines” eg heading west from Bournemouth towards Poole, you go past west cliff, durley chine, middle chine, alum chine, branksome chine, then down through canford cliffs and finally to sandbanks. At all these points you can get down to the beach, often through the “chine” (a narrow valley leading to the beach). All these beaches are lovely. They are quieter the further you get from Bournemouth and sandbanks. There’s often parking on the streets and then you’d have to walk down, further away the later in the day you are.

I think any accommodation along this stretch of coast - or certainly to the east of Bournemouth too, heading out towards boscombe, southbourne etc - would be fine. If you want a town to be in, Bournemouth might be better but anywhere you can find along here will get you lovely beach. There are buses as well that head down to some beach stops - I know they do at alum chine.

Good luck - it’s a lovely area.

https://www.bournemouth.co.uk/dbimgs/Dog-Map.pdf?purgepage=1

https://www.bournemouth.co.uk/things-to-do/beaches

And to reiterate - the beach right by Bournemouth will be busy. But if you take the effort to walk 5-10 mins along from there, you’ll have plenty of room, unless it’s a super hot day.

The beach at Bournemouth stretches right the way from Hengistbury Head in the East through to Sandbanks in the West, so while it does get very busy right next to car parks as soon as you move even a little way away there is always loads of room! Personally I prefer Bournemouth town to Poole and probably accommodation is probably most plentiful in Bournemouth itself and it would be easiest to get to beaches, but parking can be a nightmare. The quay area in Poole is nice for cafes etc though. If you can get a hotel with parking or even come down by train then the buses are also actually pretty good and run along the length of the beach stretch so it's easy to get about a bit further without worrying about parking, though traffic is so busy on hot days buses can be very slow! The beaches on Purbeck are lovely too and often quieter but parking is even worse here, catch the bus or use the chain ferry as a foot passenger to go there! If you do bring your car there are also some nice non-beach things to do around about depending on Kids ages, including lots of outdoorsy stuff in the New forest within easy reach, plus some nice beaches further along the New Forest stretch.

Alum chine is great and has a play park and toilets next to the beach, which us great and breaks up the day a little.

Just reread your post about board walks etc - that’s around sandbanks and Bournemouth, and it makes them busier. There are intermittent ice cream / coffee / snack places or a single cafe/pub at several of the chine places, but it’s more open beach and you can walk to a toilets or get an icecream without going too far. It takes us about 20 mins to walk from alum chine to Bournemouth pier, to give an idea of scale.

Do either, they are linked with a beach so effectively u can do both, I expect Poole will be cheaper to stay.

Bournemouth is absolutely stunning I remember the first time I went until then I didn't realise how lovely it is . Theres lots to see and do there You could then go to Poole for a day which is also beautiful.

Poole has Sandbanks , absolutely lovely beach but on a nice day, gets busy early and the car park fills up. Also I’ve if the most expensive areas to live in the Uk, and Garry Kane lives there (possibly moved now).

The town of Poole has gone downhill but it has a nice quayside area. Also has lots going on so it’s worth looking on the ‘what’s on’ section of Poole tourism site.

Bournmouth has nice pier and also nice sandy beach.

Swanage is only over the chain link ferry from sandbanks Poole about a 20 minute drive but it’s far nicer then anywhere in Poole or Bournemouth.
you could go highcliffe way which is near mudeford.

If you want to stay within walking distance of the beach and town centre then Bournemouth is a better bet than Poole/Sandbanks.

If you are driving, the possibilities are endless.

What kind of accommodation do you want/budget?

And what ages are your DC?

Thanks so much - such helpful info.
to be honest, the parking is the one thing I’m super nervous about. I’d probably drive though, and ideally a b&b/ hotel with parking would be perfect. DC are 3, 6, 8, 12
id spend up to £250 a night for all of us

Lived in Dorset in my late childhood. Visit 2 or 3 times a year now. Bournemouth has gone down hill massively and Poole is way too upmarket. Swanage is my go to beach. Love it there. Also love Mudeford but that's shingle not sand

That's hardly that much extra!

This its typical mumsnet these days.

Poster "Id like to go to X"
Poster B "let me tell you about places Y and Z"

Whether you do poole or bournemouth or the myriad of beaches in between I'd get there early and claim a spot. I'd probably aim for one in the middle and walk tk bmth for lunch and walk back.

How about this place @ThePenIsBlue ?

https://www.booking.com/Share-cHxzhOG

Great location - v walkable to the beach. And near Westbourne which has lots of restaurants etc.

There are nice hotels up the cliff at Bournemouth with parking, then you can either walk down or take the cliff lift.

I wouldn’t say the town centre of Poole is upmarket.

Christchurch is lovely. Avon Beach is great, has parking and an ice cream shop for kids.

Highcliffe is just along, has Highcliffe Castle (an old mansion really) and a walk down to the beach.

They are less hassle than Bournemouth, less crowded, nice than Bournemouth but not as expensive / flashy as Poole/ Sandbanks.

Christchurch is beautiful, with an old Priory, a ruined castle, a quay with ducks to feed and lots of little shops and cafe.

They are quite busy places. You could try South Devon, really beautiful that way and less people than the bigger places. My eldest daughter suffers from anxiety so we always holiday to South Devon now and she's much calmer and happier there.

Wherever you go, I hope you all have a lovely time x