“Southbourne Beach is one of Bournemouth’s favourite Blue Flag award winning beaches, particularly loved by the locals for its wide, exceptionally clean, sandy and shingle beaches situated further to the West of Bournemouth, away from the hustle and bustle of Bournemouth Pier and the town centre.”
Bournemouth.co.uk
Every year my friends and I try to escape for a girls weekend away. We travel from various locations over the UK to explore a new places and just have a good time. This year we chose to be by the sea in Southbourne, Bournemouth.
Here is an agenda for the perfect day (WITHOUT your dog) in Southbourne:
Day
Get up and get to the beach! Southbourne Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the UK.
Next, walk to Bournemouth Boating and take a trip.
You can either hire a boat and explore yourselves, like we did, or you can hop on a ferry for lunch at the Tuckton Tea Gardens. The afternoon tea was highly recommended and the Tuckton Tea Gardens are dog-friendly!
Evening
Get a taxi to the Boathouse in Christchurch for some great food and drinks. Make sure that you reserve a table at the Chandelier bar upstairs for cocktails before/after.
And now for things you can do WITH your pooch in Southbourne…
Dog-friendly things to do and places to see in Southbourne
The main attraction for any dog in Southbourne is the long sandy beach. It stretches for miles. There a numerous dogs walking on the sand, on the concrete promenade and splashing about in the sea. There is also a great dog-friendly restaurant (Bistro on the beach) on the beach that will keep the whole family happy.
You can head into Christchurch and walk around the lively harbourside where there are lots of restaurants and cafes with outdoor space. Alternatively, you could do the Convent walk, go to the Stanpit Marsh Nature Reserve, or take your pooch on a train ride at the Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway.
Dog-friendly accommodation in Southbourne
We stayed in a lovely but, unfortunately, not dog-friendly first floor apartment. The apartment was a couple of minutes walk from Southbourne beach and had amazing views of the sea from the dining area and the spacious balcony.
You can find lots of dog-friendly accommodation in Bournemouth and Southbourne on all the usual sites (e.g. booking.com, tripadvisor). For example, I found this luxury dog-friendly sea-front villa on the same road as the apartment that we rented! I haven’t stayed here and so can’t personally recommend it, but the reviews look very good.
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No wonder those beaches are so popular. They are GORGEOUS! No wonder it was such a great place for a girl’s weekend. Thank you for sharing.
A stroll on the beach and the tea gardens sound like a perfect dog-friendly day. I’m glad you got to have a weekend away with the girls! Beautiful trip, as always.