Boscombe Beach, Bournemouth

Description:

Boscombe Beach is located just East of Bournemouth signposted from the A338 and A35 routes in town. There are 572 spaces on the seafront to park between Boscombe pier and Bournemouth. There are more pay and display at the Marina.

Boscombe had it's heyday in Victorian times when as an alternative to Bournemouth it became very fashionable. The pier in those days was grand.

Today this is a very popular beach with families and is a beautiful stretch of the coast. The gardens have been recently refurbished making the walk to the beach a pleasant experience and there is a mini golf course and sports complex, children's play area and a café. The new attraction is the Boscombe surf reef which is currently under construction and due for completion in October. The beach has been transformed and is now huge and impressive. See our Guide2Dorset articles on the Boscombe surf reef.

Boscombe like many other beaches along this coastline operates a KidZone scheme with dedicated staff on the lookout for lost children. There are three separate sites for W.C's including disabled and baby changing facilities.

Yellow buses' number 27 links the pier with Boscombe bus station, Winton and Kinson. The number 12 summer open-topped coastal service goes to Christchurch, Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth, the Chines and Sandbanks. A land train runs along the promenade from Bournemouth to Boscombe and through into Boscombe gardens every twenty minutes in the height of summer.

Dogs are not permitted on the beach but may be taken on the promenade provided they are kept on a lead. Exercise areas can be found east of Fisherman's walk.  

Places to visit on a rainy day are:-

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum. This is a fine Victorian building. Open Tuesday to Sundays, 2am-5pm. 01202 451858.

Wacky Warehouse Soft play  area at the Waterfront Complex on Pier Approach, Bournemouth. A great place to take the children when raining, there are ball pools and climbing frames.