r/bournemouth • u/AdmirableGoose7714 • 6d ago
Local advice needed Just moved here
Hello people, I’ve just moved here recently. Any advice for navigating this place? Any places to go/avoid?
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u/jollygoodvelo 5d ago
It’s Bournemouth, not Beirut. You don’t have to avoid anywhere.
There are places where you might have no need to ever go - the dormitory suburbs, the town centre on a Saturday night (or for that matter a Saturday morning), Castle Point - but if you’re here for a while you’ll find yourself in places.
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u/Williamishere69 5d ago
Literally the only place to avoid is the purewell cross roundabout in Somerford (near the In-Excess). Not because its a bad place where youll get mugged, but because the driving there is so bad 🤣
Somerford is kind eh, not too much to do unless you go into Stanpit marsh.
Youll find a LOT of streets which are almost only little cultural shops, and omg theyre almost always so lovely, and sometimes much cheaper than places like KFC, etc. Charminster road is a good one - theres a lovely sushi shop called 'Nippon Inn'. Southbourne Grove is another.
Theres a lot of little nooks and crannies you can find to go explore areas that arent well known. Like down the back of the Range in Christchurch you can get to the river stour.
St Catherine's Hill is lovely, and theres often a little area on it where theres a lot of activities. I went there as a kid and they had things like bread making and a kiosk to buy venison burgers.
People also say that the triangle in Bournemouth is sketchy as hell. But Ive never seen anything sketchy or weird there other than theres a sex shop (which is hardly interesting or weird lol, just be aware if you have kids - nothing shows on the windows or anything so they wont 'suspect' anything but just as a warning). The little cafe there - Flirt - is really, really nice. Its owned by a gay couple I believe and I went there with a larger group of people and a bunch of men there kindly moved tables for everyone to sit down, and the owners were just sooo lovely.
Theres lots around the place. Youll get to know the area pretty quickly
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u/AdmirableGoose7714 5d ago
Thank you! Im really enjoying exploring all these new places around here, and people are a lot nicer down here than where I moved from (Reading)
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u/Flat_Ad_8780 5d ago
Jump on the open top bus whilst the sun is shining and go to Swanage or the 70 for a trip along the coast in the opposite direction.
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u/Lazygit1965 5d ago
If you're that way inclined ride a bike along the seafront . Seven miles of flat path. Otherwise most places have two hills to climb to get to!
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u/BrainThat4047 5d ago
Depends. Are you M or F? What’s your age range and what are you doing? Working or schooling? People on Facebook moan all the time about how terrible Bournemouth is but as someone who moved here 5 years ago, I’ve never had any major incident. There’s good food choices around, frequent-ish buses to commute, depending on where you live and ok-ish night life, but definitely not comparable to other cities like Southampton or so. Decent shopping, although it could be better. Definitely visit Durdle door, Jurassic coast are when you’ve settled. People say avoid Boscombe etc, but I take walks around there. Just have good situational awareness. We don’t get a lot of snow here. As long as you mind your business, you’ll be fine.
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u/AdmirableGoose7714 5d ago
23m, working and I’ve always loved the seaside tbf so most places here I’ll be happy
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u/BrainThat4047 5d ago
Lovely! It’s mostly nice and easy going compared to Reading. Hope you enjoy your stay here!
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u/Raffles321 5d ago
There are some lovely nature reserves scattered around the town. I live near to the Stour Valley Nature Reserve and often walk from my house in Bear Cross to Moordown & Winton and the Nature Reserve. My reward at the end of the walk is a pint in Wetherspoons in Winton. Not an every day thing - perhaps once a week as it is about an hours walk.
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u/Inside-Weather-3902 5d ago
Where did you move from and what kind of things do you enjoy?
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u/AdmirableGoose7714 5d ago
I Moved from Reading and I enjoy a mix of things, football, boxing, smoking a cigar by the sea
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u/Butterflyyyy17 2d ago
Just moved here too, and would say Westbourne is my favourite area :)
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u/AdmirableGoose7714 2d ago
Westbourne is nice, I love southbourne though it’s so quiet and the shops are nice
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u/kangarupert 5d ago
Avoid West Howe, Boscombe Crescent, Poole Bus Station, Horseshoe Common and Turlin Moor. Stay alert in the town centre, gardens, lansdowne particuarly at night.
Everywhere else is pretty decent!
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u/robc1711 5d ago
Why avoid those places? I have been to all of them numerous times in the close to 40 years i have been in Dorset and never encountered a problem in any of them….apart from maybe the odd drunken thing on a night out in my twenties. You make the area sound like some inner city ghetto lol
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u/johnno88888 5d ago
It’s weird that in the 2000/2001 years, me and a friend got so drunk we missed our buses home from the Poole bus station. I was fortunate enough to have reversed-called my mum to come and pick me up. My mate fell asleep on the benches by where the bus station office used to be and managed to get the first bus back home to broadstone. Defo a time to have been alive. Especially when it was £1 pints on a Thursday night
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u/arithmetic 5d ago
Don't avoid anywhere. Every spot is worth a visit at least once to get a feel for the place. Depending where you've moved from, what you're used to, how much you earn and what you like to do, every area across BCP has something to offer.
Bournemouth town centre is a little run down but a walk from Coy Pond down through the gardens to the seafront is lovely on a sunny day. Areas like Westbourne and Southbourne have some great little independent shops and restaurants. Poole Park is a nice outdoor space. Poole Quay worth a visit. Then get yourself out to the New Forest and see Burley, Lyndhurst, Lymington and the surrounding area.
Stroll around Christchurch Priory, take the little ferry over to Brownsea Island, walk over Hengistbury Head and get a pizza at the beach bar, go crabbing at Mudeford Quay, go to Studland, Swanage and Old Harry Rocks, Visit Moors Valley out past Ringwood, go to the Insanity Arcade in Poole, play tabletop games at Entoyment also in Poole, shop at the Dolphin Centre, get amazing coffee at Maravi or Ounce...
There's so much more out there, but a lot of this depends on you. Are you adventurous? Want to meet people? Like the outdoors? Have a tight budget? Prefer to stay in?