This personal site provides a simple guide to local Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Beaches and nearby parking. It also includes some information on Bournemouth town centre parking.
Often all Bournemouth beaches get lumped into “The Bournemouth Beach”. But there are many different beaches along the coast here. The distance from little Avon Beach at Mudeford in Christchurch through to the wild Solent Beach at Hengistbury Head is just over one mile on the map. But they could be on different continents.
From Southbourne Beach to Alum Chine there’s several miles of golden sand.
Then Poole takes over from Branksome Dene to Sandbanks with another set off beautiful golden beaches.
The beach character and popularity along this coast varies massively. It can totally change within a few hundred yards.
The characteristics and accessibility of individual beaches varies considerably. Some beaches are clearly bucket and spade beaches. Others are for water sports. Some are quiet and subdued. Other hectic and noisy. Hopefully this simple guide will enable you to choose the best beach for you.
Parking
Each webpage here has a section on parking at the end. There is also a synopsis off all of these selected car parks. This synopsis is accessible from the menu at the top.
Parking for the various Beaches in Summer ranges from the diabolical to the straight-forward. The synopsis simply gives a post-code and a (very) brief description. I have tried to go into more detail (where available) on the relevant beach webpage.
There are literally hundreds of car parks in the Bournemouth and Poole area. Frankly, figuring out which is which and which ones are useful for a beach or town visit can be overwhelming. So I have tried to limit the total number to those that are relevant to those visiting the beach or Bournemouth town centre.
All parking information is provided as-is and untested. I cannot guarantee it is correct. You use it at your own discretion and risk.
Bournemouth & Poole Blue Flag Beaches
Each of these beaches has its own charm and character. Bournemouth beaches, collectively hold no less than five Blue flag awards. These are for: Alum Chine, Durley Chine, Fishermans Walk, Manor Steps and Southbourne beaches. Nearby Poole beaches add another four Blue Flags. These Poole beaches are simply the “western end” of Bournemouth Bay. Here is Poole’s Blue Flag beaches: Sandbanks, Shore Road, Canford Cliffs and Branksome Chine.
These Blue Flag beaches straddle the central core Bournemouth beaches of East Cliff and West Cliff so you can be pretty sure of the cleanliness of the water and the quality of the facilities of all of Bournemouth and Poole beaches.
Quality Coast Award
Bournemouth also holds the Quality Coast Award for the area around Bournemouth Pier. Bournemouth pier is actually the dividing point between East Cliff beach and West Cliff beach so again, the visitor can be assured of the quality commitment (and also attention to detail) to this area. The local council, quite correctly has identified Bournemouth beach(es) as the primary identifier associated with Bournemouth. The beach is cleaned daily in summer. Problem monitoring takes pace all the year round.
Lifeguards and KidZone
Lifeguards patrol tall of the main tourist beaches induring the Summer season (outsourced to the R.N.L.I). Innovative schemes to prevent lost children (LV KidZone) are in place.
Bournemouth: A Lovely Place
I love this place and always have. I hope this site helps you figure out why I have such affection for it.
And I hope it helps you find the right beach (and parking!) for your holiday or day trip.
Kind Regards
Bill.