Moving to Bournemouth/Poole area - maybe?

[nebzil]

Hello. My husband and I live in Windsor with 2 young boys. We moved here for work reasons and 4 years later would love to move away from the noisy aeroplanes...we are considering going to the coast. A friend mentioned Bournemouth so we went on a weekend trip and thought the beach at Sandbanks was lovely! My internet research suggests that Lilliput/Branksome/Westbourne areas would be nice to live. But, I have read loads about how Bournemouth is not actually very nice and has a big drink/drug/hen party problem. Would you encounter this living in Westbourne? Where would you go shopping?
I was interested to see they have grammar schools in Bournemouth and Poole - can anyone offer any information about them? Good/bad/easy to get to etc?
Where would you want a Year 1 and 2 child to go to school? What is the chance of getting into a nice school part way through a year?
A friend mentioned the weather is awful in winter (can it be any worse than anywhere else?)
Obviously we will have to spend more time there before deciding, but I would love to hear from people who actually live there and know what it is like all year round.
My husband is very keen on surfing and windsuring. I worry that we would feel 'cut off' and deprived of the theatres/culture/museums etc in London. My mum says lots of coastal seaside towns in the UK are a bit rundown - would you agree?
Many thanks

You do know Bournemouth has an airport don't you?
We find it nice to visit.

If you don't have your heart set on being right on the coast you could consider Winchester which is only an hour from London by train, 30 minutes Southampton by car, 50mins from Bournemouth by car, excellent schools. Expensive (but coming from Windsor possibly not so much).

How many theatres etc do you want? Some great outdoor places to visit plus others not so far e.g. Portsmouth.

Hants: Winchester, Romsey, Chandlers Ford, all excellent for schools and no rubbish angst regarding 11+ either.

Lovely suggestions - thanks so much. Our hearts aren't really set on anywhere in particular. It is hard moving somewhere you have no ties/family whatsoever. We both just feel life is a bit of a struggle here with the crazy house prices/rat race/London feeling. I also find it a bit small as a town. We moved from Bristol where there is a much more friendly/eco/down-to-earth vibe and lots more people.
We don't think we would go back to Bristol because of the work situation and thought we might try the coast somewhere.
Basically we are looking for somewhere with good schools (who isn't!) access to the coast and jobs. Husband works in IT/telecoms - hence moving to the M4 corridor. I am more flexible.
Thanks for your thoughts.

They are no where near the M4 corridor.

Weather wise is the same as everywhere else, not as cold though. Areas of Bournemouth does have a drug problem, avoid Boscombe.

Not sure about schools as I live in the sticks.

Culture wise, Southampton gets most of the popular West End shows, the Lighthouse theatre in Poole is great for shows etc and BIC for concerts.

I live in Poole and love it here. Like anywhere it's a town of two halves. If you go into the town centre there are a few odd looking people, and drunks, however the quay and old town is lovely and do close to the beaches. Imo the nicest places (with the best first schools) are Whitecliff, Lilliput and lower parkstone, but they are expensive. There are grammar schools, not sure how hard they are to get into.

Bournemouth is also lovely with the beaches and gardens. No, you wouldn't want to venture into the town on a Sat night unless you are under 25 & like stag doos but lots of towns are like that.

Loads going on for families in both areas. Come down and get to know the place.

Thank you - very interesting. I think you are right about most places being 'of two halves'. Windsor is definitely like that too.
Do you find that you still visit the beach in the winter? Are there non beach-related activities to do too? One of the main reasons for looking to move there is that we can't afford a house here with a decent sized garden as they are all over a million £'s and with two young boys I am looking for space for them to be able to run about etc. Do you think this part of the world would fit the bill?
It would be a major shift and possibly even mean career changes too as it would be far too far to commute.
What are the shops like?