Bournemouth Mners - am I likely to get a parking space in the seafront car parks at 07.40 tomorrow?

[handlemecarefully]

I know it gets mad in terms of traffic heading down the M27 to Bournemouth, and the parking adjacent to the beach goes very early...do you think we will beat the rush if we aim to arrive for 07.40? (not as mad as it sounds because we will then have a civilised breakfast at the Royal Bath Hotel before reparing to the beach around 8.45 /09.00)

In your experience should this do it?

(I hate traffic queues and I hate circling around for car parking spaces for 20 minutes and will do pretty much anything to avoid these)

IMHO that should be okay - I am also paranoid about getting in early and avoiding the rush.

that sounds reasonable if there is no parking however go a little further along to durley chine there is sea front parking and lots of facilities toilets, resturant, bucket and spade stalls and its 20 mins to the pier to walk.

Good - glad it's not just me!

Durley chine - great tip, thanks

should be fine. Enjoy yourselves. I used to work as a cocktail waitress at the Royal Bath many moons ago! Wish I was here tomorrow, heading to see FIL on probably the hottest day of the year. 5 hours in the sodding car. Hey ho!

I would think you'd be fine, it was busy in town today but not impossible to park. Durley is a good tip, also Branksome Chine
( has a great bistro/restuarant on the seafront). If you want to try there, you need to head towards Westbourne (basically it's the further west along the cliffs from central bmth), it's a great, clean beach, not as many visitors know about it. There'll be on road parking at that time, you then need to just walk down through the wooded chines to the beach (it's signposted). Have a great day! x

Alum chine is a nice area too. Lovely play area for children and italian restaurant for morning coffee. I park for free just 2mins up a very large hill.

Oooh some fab suggestions thanks.

Poor you Delgirl you've got my sympathies re the 5 hour drive

I went to southbourne beach today,got parked easily and that was around 11am.

Yes, Alum is lovely, I lived in westbourne un til v recently...at 35 wks I'm having real difficulty with that darned hill tho!

Blimey ggirl - how did you manage that then?

Bournemouth does get really busy though...

We've just got back from holiday there. We stayed near the east cliff and plenty of cheap clifftop parking - use the cliff lift if you can't face the walk back up!

There's a carpark just down from the road,it's expensive so takes a while to fill up.