The real Bournemouth only locals know about – seaside town’s empty beaches, free attractions and best pubs

BOURNEMOUTH is one of the UK’s most popular seaside towns, with an award-winning beach that frequently ranks among the world’s best.

But how to avoid the tourist traps? Here, some of its savviest locals everything from how to watch free fireworks displays to where to find space to lay your towel in a heatwave – with exclusive discounts for Sun readers.

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Simon Jones

Alamy

Local shop owners Alison Dewey and Mark Battistini, pub landlord Dan Sullivan, deli owner Adam Richardson and taxi driver Hassan Quadir have shared their tips on the area.

If you had a friend visit from abroad, what shouldn’t they miss?

Alison: Obviously the beach! There’s a wide variety though, from the traditional pleasure beach in central Bournemouth, to the calm and natural Hengistbury Head nature reserve, with its wild grass dunes wide variety of wildlife.

Then do some shopping, with Southbourne’s traditional high street with independent shops, or the Avenue in Bournemouth for South Coast Makers Market that’s full of local crafts and artists.

Bournemouth also has beautiful public gardens, that stretch up from the beach and finish at The Upside Gallery, which has a unique outdoor street art gallery, featuring artists from the graffiti and urban art scene.

Mark: Visit the beautiful Russell Cotes Museum, a grade II* listed, cliff-top Victorian mansion full of art and sculptures collected by a Bournemouth couple in the early 20th century. And of course the wonderful seven miles of award-winning golden beaches.

Dan: The seaside village of Highcliffe, a quaint village to the east of Bournemouth that’s home to Highcliffe Castle is wonderful, it’s like going back in time. And the beach is never packed out, with good waves if you like surfing.

Hassan: Branksome Beach is a sandy Blue Flag beach popular with locals, to the west of Bournemouth with beach huts for hire. And Bournemouth Beach during summer – every Friday at 10pm there is a great fireworks display.

Best local pub

Alison: The Way Outback is a microbrewery on Seabourne Road, in the suburb of Pokesdown, that does fab pizza nights on Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays, with pizzas from £9.50.

Also Chaplin’s a former CAMRA UK pub of the year, on Christchurch Road, in the suburb of Boscombe, which hosts some of the most incredible musicians and has a great garden.

Mark: Ye Olde George Inn and the Goat and Tricycle are two of the oldest pubs in Christchurch and Bournemouth. Ye Olde George Inn is a 600-year-old pub in the village of Christchurch, that is popular for its wide range of beers – including the local Piddle brewery. Goat and Tricycle is found in central Bournemouth’s popular ‘The Triangle’ and well-loved for its real ales.

Best hidden gems

Dan: The Triangle is well hidden from tourists. It’s the slightly more hipster area just off the town centre, where the businesses are smaller and independent. It’s here that you’ll find the likes of my pub, The Four Horsemen and bars like Smokin’ Aces.

Hassan: Sobo Beach, a lively restaurant and bar on Southbourne Beach promenade. It’s a party on the beach, basically. From May until the end of August, they have DJs on the deck every other Sunday. They have food trucks and a double decker bus that you can hire for a VIP  party, and it’s a great vibe.

Simon Jones

BCP Tourism

Simon Jones

Simon Jones

Favourite coffee shop

Alison: Wild & Ginger on Southbourne Grove, in the suburb of Southbourne. They make their own sourdough bakes fresh every morning, and my favourite is the New York swirl with lemon curd and white chocolate.

Mark: Fika coffee shop in Westover Road, Bournemouth the number one cafe in Bournemouth on TripAdvisor, known for its homemade coffee blend and friendliness of staff.

Favourite brunch/breakfast spot

Alison: Velo Domestique in Southbourne is great for cyclists. They are half bike shop and half coffee shop serving local coffee brand Band Hand Coffee.

Mark: The Kitchen on Christchurch road in the suburb of Pokesdown is quaint cafe known for for its local produce and well-priced fry ups – £8 for a full English with tea and coffee.

Best place to take kids 

Alison: The Pier in Bournemouth has so much to do for kids, with the beach, arcades, indoor rock climbing from 4 years old, the zip line that runs all the way from the top of the pier to the beach, the Upside Down House for photo fun and mini golf.

Dan: Moors Valley Country Park is a 20-minute drive from the centre and it’s great for kids. They have a play trail with huge wooden play structures, a treetop trail and a play park, as well as a little railway. The car park is a tenner, but it’s free to get in.

Hassan: Bournemouth Wheel is great – it’s like a mini London Eye. You get views over the Bournemouth gardens out to sea.

But the best place for kids to really explore is Hengistbury Head to the east of Bournemouth. It’s great for wildlife, cheap, cheerful and you can easily spend 2-3 hours there exploring. 

Favourite restaurant

Alison: Westbourne Grill House in Westbourne for steak, because the ambience is great and the food is quality. Or Sobo Fish on Southbourne’s High Street for the catch of the day. It’s like a local version of Loch Fyne and they do everything from fish platters to more basic dishes. It would be great for a date night.

Also, slightly hidden away in Bournemouth Gardens is Urban Garden, with its cool laid back vibes. You go through almost a secret door and up some stairs to a sort of upmarket cafe and restaurant, that serves stonebaked pizzas and really good Sunday roasts, with lovely views over the gardens.

Mark: Renoufs –  they have a cheese and wine bar in both Westbourne and Southbourne, which serves cheeses, charcuterie and more than 200 wines.

Hassan: Antepli in Charminster, to the north of Bournemouth. It’s a Turkish restaurant that does grills, homemade bread – traditional Turkish food, with decent portions. And they give you bread, salads and dips for free at the start of your meal. 

Favourite place for a cheap eat

Alison: Hungry Husky in Southbourne. It’s not posh, but The Stereophonics had breakfast there once when shooting a music video here. This is a proper old-style, no-frills cafe. But the owner is a trained chef who makes everything fresh, with big portions. You could get lunch with a drink for under a tenner.

Dan: Norwegian Wood Cafe is hidden away off the main road in the town centre. If you ask any local what the best breakfast in Bournemouth is, they’d say this. They do breakfast fare really well and reasonably priced (from £5).

Favourite bakery: 

Mark: M’s Bakery – A family-run award winning bakery on Christchurch Road in Boscombe. They make all of their breads and pastries on the premises and has won scores of national and local awards for their produce – and gold for best sourdough at the World Bread Awards.

Hassan: BigWigs, a family-owned bakery in the suburb of Tuckton, that does great cakes, brunch, sandwiches, and Patisserie Mark Bennet, Christchurch one of six patisseries owned by Mark Bennet – the third in a family-line of master bakers from nearby Poole.

Favourite place to get ice cream

Mark: Sprinkles Gelato in Holdenhurst Road. 

Dan: Sprinkles Gelato, or a Mr Whippy from a truck on the beach.

Favourite place to get fish ‘n’ chips

Adam: The family-run Chez Fred. A fish and chip shop in Westbourne Village run by the Capel family since 1989, that’s rated the best chippie in Dorset on TripAdvisor.

Hassan: Chez Fred in Westbourne, they have a great eat-in restaurant and takeaway section but it’s extremely popular, so be prepared to queue. Or Smithsons in the suburb of Southbourne, popular with locals for the large portions – the child’s fish and chips for around £5.99 is like an adult portion.

Meet our local experts & take advantage of their exclusive offers for Sun readers

Our panel of Bournemouth experts all own businesses in the local area...

Alison Dewey (pictured above) is the owner of independent shop Sugar Mango in Southbourne, selling jewellery, gifts, clothing, footwear and accessories. She’s giving all Sun readers 10% off both instore and online with the code SUNNY10 (offer valid until May 16, excluding promotions)

Mark Battistini is Bournemouth born-and-bred and co-owner of Fantastic Things Emporium in The Arcade, selling crafts, clothes, toys, and vintage trinkets.

Dan Sullivan owns the town’s Four Horsemen Pub and late-night bar the Electric Boulevard.

Adam Richardson owns Picnic Park Deli in Bournemouth’s Westover Gardens, which puts on a mix of live music, art, and fitness events, along with food and drink.

Hassan Quadir, owner of Sobo Taxis, was born and raised in Bournemouth. He’s offering a 10% discount for readers to use Sobo taxis from May 2024 to September 2024.

Shops you recommend

Alison: Obviously I’m going to recommend my own shop Sugar Mango, on Southbourne’s lovely traditional high street. And for vintage finds, Pokesdown is well known and Vintage Clobber is full of retro clothing.

Mark: Richmond Classics, a 32-year-old, family-owned clothing business. A cool menswear store that has featured in fashion magazines like Arena, FHM and Loaded. They sell designer labels like Moschino and Valentino up to 70 per cent off.

Dan: Frog Bros Comics and Books in the Sovereign Shopping Centre in Boscombe, which sells graphic books, comics, models, paints and board games.

Also, Snu-Peas record shop in Boscombe – it’s a real treasure trove of a record shop thanks to the wide range of music and knowledgeable owner, Will. You need about 2-3 hours to look through it all.

Favourite walk

Alison: Hengistbury Head has a fabulous walk. Take the beach route around the head with views of the Wight Bear, a local landmark on the Isle Of Wight that looks like a polar Bear – it’s so famous there’s even a local micro pub named after it.

The coastal path takes you right to the famous Mudeford Spit beach huts, and a bonus find is the The Beach House restaurant with stunning views across the harbour and Mudeford Quay. During the summer there’s a little train you can also ride, which is great for kids of all ages.

Hassan: Visit Tuckton Tea Gardens, a quaint cafe with pretty gardens in Southbourne on the River Stour, then catch the vintage ferry next door to Mudeford beach to walk around the Mudeford Quay. On the ferry trip back to Tuckton, stop off at Christchurch Quay for a walk around the historic village.

Simon Jones

Simon Jones

Favourite park 

Alison: Alum Chine Tropical Gardens, to the west of the town, that leads you via a winding path from the cliff top down to Alum Chine Beach. Built in the 1920s, fans of the public garden’s palm trees and sea views say it reminds them of the Mediterranean on a sunny day. With shaded paths, a paddling pool and a Treasure Island-themed children’s play area.

Favourite view point

Alison: You can get a beautiful night time view over the central pier with all the twinkling lights dancing on the sea. And throughout August on a Friday night there are firework displays.

Mark: Mudeford Spit, a beautiful sand spit leading off Hengistbury Head, lined with quaint beach huts that’s popular in summertime.

Hassan: Sea Road, Boscombe pier view point, it has an amazing view from the top of the road.

Favourite place for cocktails 

Alison: The Nici Hotel in Bournemouth has that Miami vibe for cocktails, or for something a little more secret then try The Library, and if you want drinks with a view then visit Level8ight at the top of The Hilton.

Dan: Smokin’ Aces is a whisky lounge and cocktail bar that’s really small – so you only need about 12 people in it to have a good vibe, and Ojo Rojo a tequila and mezcal bar that serves modern Mexican tapas-style food, both in ‘The Triangle’ area of central Bournemouth.

And the Electric Boulvevard, an alternative cocktail that’s open until between 3am – 5am every night, for people who don’t fancy clubbing all night.

Best hidden beaches 

Mark: Southbourne Beach, to the east of central Bournemouth is beautiful and not as busy as the main beach area in central.

Dan: At Highcliffe beach, to the east of Bournemouth there’s never anyone there! And there’s actually some surf there now. People mainly go to Boscombe for surfing. 

Hassan: Bournemouth’s beach is about nine miles long, but there are different pickets have different names. Obviously the main one is the central Bournemouth beach, but if you have kids, Boscome beach, Southbourne Beach are better as they are much quieter, as is Mudeford beach.

Avon Beach is a popular spot with locals in the neighbouring town of Christchurch, with a couple of very good pubs, along with The Noisy Lobster restaurant that’s right on the beach.

Best area of Bournemouth to stay 

Alison: This really depends on what you want from your stay. The suburb of Southbourne, to the east of the town centre, is more chilled and my favourite B&B is Mory House, which is beautifully decorated and family run.

For the ultimate beach experience people, can stay in their own little beach hut cabins at Bournemouth Beach Lodges, with all mod cons right on the beachfront (costs from £400 for three nights in low season).