Looking to move to the Bournemouth area - suggestions of nice villages?

[INeedNewShoes]

I am hoping to move to the Bournemouth area but I don't know it well enough to know where to start!

I would like to move to a village or small town that is within 20 minutes' drive of Bournemouth and with reasonable access to the M27 (so more North East of Bournemouth rather than towards Poole). On my list to look at so far I have Ringwood, Burndown and Highcliffe on the recommendation of a friend.

My budget isn't great (£280k for 2-3 bedrooms) and I know that will rule out some places.

It is just me and DD (1 year old) and I'm hoping for a village with a decent school, nice walks directly from the village, village big enough to have a post office and a pub as a minimum, ideally a toddler group, and an easy drive to a nice beach (or even better, a safe cycle to the sea - but I'm really dreaming now!).

Can anyone make any suggestions?

Hello, Christchurch is closer to Bournemouth and has a small town feel but is beautiful by the river and near to Mudeford beach and the beach in Southbourne. Highcliffe is a bit quieter and lacks a village centre. You may feel a bit cut off there although it's close to the Forest. Also, look at Tuckton because it is near to the beach and Christchurch. Ringwood is a lot more inland and lots of traffic there (lot of commuters). Too far to the beach! We are moving down to Christchurch in the summer

What about Ferndown?
V close to Bournemouth, good schools and quiet.