To move to Poole or Weymouth

[Harrypotterfan122]

We currently live in south London and want to escape to the seaside! We’ve spent a lot of time in the Poole and Weymouth area.
DH works remotely. I am a teacher so could move job wise.

What are these areas actually like? Any recommendations? We have two primary aged kids.

I live near Wimborne and previously lived closer to Poole town centre. I love it here. I have young kids and can’t imagine moving away from Dorset. There’s not so much to do when it’s raining but I think it has it all. Yes the high street is a little tired but it’s having a lot of regeneration… Feels like I’m against the grain based on other replies but I’ve been here 7 years and adore the place.
Not so familiar with Weymouth!

I had a friend move down there and she found it incredibly hard to make friends as the average age is about 100 or something.

I’m in Weymouth - moved here with 3 yo and 1 yo. Good primaries and ok secondaries.
stunning scenery on Jurassic coast, medieval working harbour, Georgian town, fabulous beaches, 2x RSPB bird reserves, woods and forest within 10 minutes and mainline train to Waterloo.

The downsides are that there aren’t many industries other than seasonal, so restrictions on job opportunities. Also like most seaside towns there’s poverty and it needs investment.

I couldn’t have chosen a better town for my kids to grow up in - safe and small, and everywhere is walkable to the beaches. Now they’re both at uni we’re looking to move back to west London.

and fwiw, I wouldn’t touch Poole or Bournemouth - both too much like Croydon on sea with dreadful traffic.

It's a tourist destination, it's fine.

We visited last summer and enjoyed it. Lots of boat trips, nice to look at the Sunseekers and ate a lunch on the quayside.

I'd say it's more an issue of your friend. It's nothing like that

Thanks wobytide and Dew141.x

I wouldn't move to Poole, Bournemouth or Christchurch is much nicer with better schools. Traffic can be a nightmare, especially in summer but you learn which routes to avoid.
Look at Southbourne, a suburb of Bournemouth, very family friendly and near the beach.

I live in BCP area. I like where I am but I live in a nice enough area...however...there is a growing problem with drugs here lots of rehab centers/clients (thanks to council accepting money from other councils for helping addicts rehabilitate near the seaside) which means there are many punters for those selling drugs. It's pretty blatant at times and you are never far from it.
You may well be aware of the refugee barge that they are proposing to be moored near Weymouth, whether that would be an issue or not.
The schools (if judging by results) are nothing to write home about unless you get into the grammar schools or pay private.
I haven't been to either town centre for shopping for years even though I live less than a couple of miles from one of them.
It's getting very 'woke' so that maybe a positive depending on your viewpoint.
Children love being on the beach so spend after school and lots of summer there but makes you appreciate how disgusting some tourists are with how much rubbish gets dumped on the beach after a bank holiday.
Roads are full of pot holes.
Football club may cling on and not be relegated.
People born and raised in the area seem totally blinkered to its issues.
Not sure I would move here if I could choose again.

Poole town centre was dire when I lived there

Having lived all over the place, I ended up raising my children in Poole and Bournemouth and it has been great. There's so many lovely places to go to in all directions - e.g. the Purbecks, the New Forest, rural Dorset, the local beaches - that I never get tired of it. We've made lots of lovely friends over the years too. Plus, there are good transport links so even when the traffic is busy, there are other options including biking. I always feel lucky to live down here.

I have lived in Bournemouth for 6yrs now, moved over from the New Forest. I love it and with 2 young children there is so much more going on here. Child services and centres were all being cut or closed when I lived in Hampshire and dorset has family centres still running.
We are So lucky to be close enough we can cycle or walk to the beach so traffic isn't an issue but as people say, parking is hell in the summer! To be honest the locals don't use the beaches so much in summer-or we know the quiet spots to go to!

Town is tired and grim in both Bournemouth and Poole, but much like all uk town centres now really. Closed retail and groups of kids/homeless. I avoid it really and use Castlepoint for shopping.

Honestly I wouldn't want to live anywhere else now and have loads to do on the doorstep or within an hour or two drive. There is a bit of a rich/poor divide comparing sandbanks to boscombe but there are plenty of bits in between! And I know where to avoid.
I don't know Weymouth but from what I hear it is also a run down beach town.

We moved to Poole from North London with our primary age kids 10 yrs ago, in search of more space and sea air. The town centre isn't great, and sadly Bournemouth has gone down hill too. But the beach is gorgeous and we are close to so many beautiful places. Young adult kids have (just about) enough to keep them entertained and can get about with an ok bus network.
I missed London like crazy for the first 2 years! It's not got the buzz or the diversity- & I haven't seen any evidence of the 'woke' that someone else mentioned. But since we moved my husband has been diagnosed with a serious lung condition so we thank our lucky stars we are away from London pollution. Traffic is nowhere near as bad as London used to be & you soon know when to avoid certain routes. Southampton isn't far away by train or car, for shopping, gigs etc. The grammar school system was not what we wanted (our children are not academic) but overall there is much less pressured atmosphere than our north London enclave.

Poole is part of BCP council area (Bournemouth,Poole, Christchurch).

Poole is poverty struck in lots of places, large very poor estates, town centre is quite run down, nothing but charity shops down the high street & bus station scary full of teens who would stab you if you look at them the wrong way no joke.
Yes certain parts of Poole (Sandbanks, Branksome Park, Candford Cliffs, Lilliput, Lower Parkstone) are lovely but only if you have lots of money.

Bournemouth is more diverse, also there are lots of students, but also huge drug problems & large homeless population. Town centre fast becoming run down sadly with lots of boarded up shops & bedding although still plenty to do for younger people.
You have to be careful at night in certain places like the Gardens & pier area.
There are various areas in Bournemouth such as Charminster, Boscombe, Pokesdown, Southbourne, Westbourne, etc that have character of their own. Ok, Boscombe is a bit notorious for druggies but does have some good points too.

Christchurch is an attractive town with a strange mixture of wealth & deprivation yet again, also with Highcliffe just down the road having the highest number of elderly residents in the country which, together with Bournemouth's second highest number of drug addicts in the country (I could be wrong now) puts a lot of pressure on the amalgamated UHD hospitals.

The major traffic congestion in the area is also a big issue really if you drive.

But... personally I like the Bournemouth area as it never gets boring, there's always somewhere to have a coffee, somewhere to walk to, lots of bars. restaurants, cinemas to go at night, new people to meet.

Also because nearby are some of the best beaches, forests, & countryside in the UK to enjoy.

Have a look at Southbourne BH6

Agree. Not a nice thing to say either .

I live in weymouth and I absolutely adore it. We moved here 20 years ago after finishing uni (also a teacher). I have family near to Poole and personally find it too 'big'. The attraction of weymouth is that it is a small town, which comes with the associated pros and cons. I feel Bournemouth and Poole are bigger but lack the money that other areas further north have.

I disagree with previous posters discussing the traffic. There are times of the day that I avoid certain areas and yes there is more traffic in the summer but it's nothing extreme to make you avoid driving. I personally prefer to cycle anyway- the fresh sea air!

There are some good bigger companies to work for but there aren't many. School wise, weymouth has some good primary's but the secondary's are pretty pants. Dorchester is better for schools.

I like being in walking distance to the beach. Now that we live here, I think I would have chosen to live in Dorchester over weymouth. Still close to the beach but a little less tourist oriented and is being regenerated with some fab areas (brewery square etc).

Good luck OP.

Forgot to add, living here in the off season, with the cold and wet wetter is just as fab as in the summer. So much beauty to explore on the Jurassic coast with significantly less people around.

I’d go Westbourne if you’re thinking of that area

With primary aged children?

We're near Dorchester - fab schools.

I live in Poole and love visiting Weymouth.

Weymouth is pretty dead out of season.and heaving in season. Its just that bit far out for connections too.

I love living in Poole, granted I haven't been in the town centre in years thanks to my Amazon and Internet shopping addiction.

The traffic can be a nightmare year round, school holidays you just swap school traffic for holiday traffic. It does help as a local that you learn the back routes and quieter spots to go. You also learn the timings pretty quickly of when to avoid certain areas.

My two go to a lovely lovely school. We are about 40 minutes from Southampton. 40 minutes from the new forest. We know lots of the secret spots towards purbeck. It just works really well because we live here, rather than basing a view on just visiting.

There's more going on in poole/bournemouth for kids.

Christchurch is lovely but the traffic makes Poole look quiet!

We went to Bournemouth a couple of months back for a 60’s weekend
My only memory was 30 years ago and it being beautiful
Now - crack heads and migrant hotels
I could not wait to leave
what this Gov have done to seaside towns is a disgrace

so NOOOOOO

Having read all the replies, I'd stay in South London in your shoes (I'm based here) and spend weekends and school holidays visiting the coast.

To be honest visiting the likes of poole/weymouth in the holidays and at weekends will only ever be at its worse