Bournemouth

*The UK’s Best Beach Destination

*Trip Advisor 2012

Bournemouth at a Glance

• Bournemouth offers an unrivalled holiday package – award-winning beaches, parks and gardens, and a packed programme of free events for everyone at any age. Plus a wealth of accommodation from cosy B&Bs to swanky ocean-front four-stars, with prices ranging from £20 to £200 per night. And not forgetting that every year we host the UK’s biggest free event of its kind – the Bournemouth Air Festival.

• The town attracts 4.8 million visitors annually and tourism generates £464m to the local economy.

• The facts speak for themselves: • Seven miles of golden sands with four Blue

Flags and two Quality Coast Awards. Plus eleven Green Flags for Bournemouth’s parks and open spaces and a Purple Flag in recognition of the management of the night time economy.

• Two historic piers in Bournemouth and Boscombe.

Bournemouth at a Glance• More than 200 hotels and guesthouses with 16,000

bed spaces. The range includes high-end four-stars like the Highcliff Marriott and eco-chic Green House Hotel. As well as funky boutique properties such as the Urban Beach Hotel and new Cottonwood Boutique Hotel, as well as dozens of friendly, family-run B&Bs.

• Scores of top-quality restaurants, serving locally-sourced produce and some of the best seafood in Britain.

• Year-round entertainment at the Bournemouth International Centre featuring the likes of Katy Perry, Florence + the Machine, Billy Connolly and Alan Carr. There are also top shows at the Pavilion Theatre, classical concerts from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cool jazz bars, pulsating nightclubs and comfy pubs.

• Top attractions including the Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum. More than 2,000 acres of award-winning gardens, Oceanarium the Bournemouth Aquarium, watersports academies, Pavilion Dance, superb shopping and much more.

• Excellent transport system in town and beyond to Poole, Swanage and the Purbecks. While Bournemouth International Airport has flights from more than 50 destinations.

Out and About• Dorset and the surrounding area offers natural beauty providing some of

the most stunning scenery in the country. Home to rolling hills, rugged coastline, lush forest and of course, mile after mile of fantastic golden sandy beaches, the county is easily accessible, and is tailor made for exploring by car, foot or bike. Here are a few places to get you started.

• The seaport town of Poole is home to the second largest natural harbour in the world. The historic Quay area offers many types of boat trips along this magnificent stretch of coastline and don’t forget to hop over to Brownsea Island, a wonderful nature reserve owned by the

• National Trust. • The ancient New Forest, created as the hunting ground of William the

Conqueror, is ideal for the cyclist, walker or horse rider. Ponies, donkeys and cattle all roam freely through the Forest’s picturesque villages, like Burley and Brockenhurst.

• Wimborne is a quaint market town with a lovely Square and the beautiful 12th century Wimborne Minster. The town has a very lively three-day folk festival in early June.

• Weymouth, located to the west of Dorset, is a busy harbour town, with Fleet Lagoon nature reserve located nearby. The town will host the sailing events for the 2012 Olympic Games.

• Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is a stunning World Heritage site, recording 185 million years of history in its rugged cliffs. Take in Durleston Head, Dancing Ledge, Lulworth Cove and don’t miss Durdle Doors’ famous rock archway. A camera is a must!

• The small village of Studland on the Isle of Purbeck is known for its National Trust beach and nature reserve, which is home to all six types of British reptile. Studland Bay, protected by Old Harry Rocks, has great views of the Isle of Wight and Studland itself served as Enid Blyton’s inspiration for Toytown in the classic Noddy books.

Out and About

• Just inside the Wiltshire border to the north is Salisbury, whose cathedral has the tallest spire in the UK. The cathedral also has the best preserved copy of the original Magna Carta. Steeped in legend and folklore, the Salisbury area also boasts one of Britain’s best historic sites - Stonehenge.

• Corfe Castle is an iconic survivor of the English Civil War, with over 1,000 years of history packed in its dramatic ruins. Perched on a hill, the castle site has great panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, overlooking the delightful village.

• In the most easterly borough of Dorset is Christchurch, whose harbour is the meeting point for the rivers Avon and Stour. The impressive Priory which gives the town its name, dates from the 11th century, while the ruins of Christchurch Castle pre-date the Norman Conquest. The art deco Regent Centre stages plays and films and the town holds a weekly market.

• Other things to consider are hopping on a ferry to the Isle of Wight and discovering

• why it is a designated Area of Natural Beauty, walking 18 miles in the shingle of Chesil Beach, from Portland to West Bay, visiting T. E. Lawrence’s (Lawrence of Arabia) cottage Clouds Hill, Wareham, and going to Shaftesbury and seeing Gold Hill, the steep, cobbled street from the memorable Hovis advert.

Love Food? Love Bournemouth

• Bournemouth is crammed with top-rated eateries serving locally-harvested produce, from cosy tea rooms and heart-warming pubs to award-winning cliff-top restaurants and stylish seafront brasseries.

• Dorset provides a wealth of excellent food and drink including smoked meats, cheeses, organic meat, speciality breads, ice-creams and fruit. And there are plenty of farm shops, smokeries and artisan centres in the area to purchase gourmet hampers, preserves, pates, cured game, poultry and, of course, fish.

• And, when it comes to seafood, there’s nowhere better. Tuck into the freshest sea-bass with a lemon and tarragon bleu blanc, the crispiest pan-fried mackerel or a juicy lobster salad with marinated fennel and spicy guacamole.

• On the menu of one of the resort’s most popular restaurants, The Print Room, you’ll find plenty of choice from local producers including scallops and crab, Burley squash, Hurn mushrooms as well as succulent Dorset pheasant and West Moors ham.

• Situated just steps from the sea, Urban Reef restaurant offers Purbeck lamb, New Forest venison, Dorset sausages, apple tart and excellent Blue Vinny and drum cheddar cheeses on its Dorset cheese board. The restaurant’s owner is passionate about local food, even owning his own small farm in the New Forest to harvest produce for his restaurant and hotel.

Love Food? Love Bournemouth

• Visit the Highcliff Marriott and you’ll encounter plenty of local produce, tuck into mouth-watering smoked mackerel tian, local seasonal scallops served with butternut squash puree, alongside fresh seafood and fish dishes.

• Finger sandwiches, delicious pastries, crumbly scones with fruit-stashed jam and clotted cream – nothing beats a Dorset cream tea. Why not splash out with a martini tea at the Norfolk Royale Hotel and relax in Edwardian splendour? Or head to the Cumberland Hotel, a beautiful Art Deco hotel overlooking the bay, and tuck into a selection of Dorset cheeses, grapes and home-made chutneys along with a refreshing cuppa or glass of fizz.

• Slow-braised cuttlefish, champagne-cured mackerel and Dorset-farmed Artic char are among the options on the menu at the Green House Hotel, along with a tempting choice of Dorset wines.

• In addition to our wines, there are plenty of local breweries and cider farms to quench raging thirsts.

Bournemouth in 2013• Bournemouth Bay Run – 7th April – Bournemouth

Seafront (Half Marathon 10k, 5k and fun run) • Classic Cars On The Prom – 14th April every Sunday

until 29th September – West Overcliff Promenade • Bandstand Performances – May – Beginning of

September – Bournemouth Lower Gardens • Bournemouth 7’s Festival – 24th – 26th May –

Bournemouth Sports Club • Pinewalk Art Exhibition – 25th May – 8th September

– Bournemouth Lower Gardens • Family Adventure Festival – 31st May – 2nd June –

Various locations around Bournemouth • Bourne Free – 12th – 14th July – Bournemouth Lower

Gardens and Triangle • Bournemouth Family Festival – 25th July – Meyrick

Park • Friday Family Fiesta – 26th July, 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd

August – Bournemouth Seafront and Lower Gardens

• Kids Family Fun Festival – 29th July – 25th August – Bournemouth Lower Gardens

Bournemouth in 2013• Candlelight Nights – 31st July, 7th, 14th & 21st August

– Bournemouth Lower Gardens • Thai Festival – 4th August – King’s Park, Boscombe • Bournemouth International Beach Tennis – 17th &

18th August – Boscombe Beach • Beach Vollyball National Finals – 24th – 26th August –

Boscombe Beach • Bournemouth Air Festival – 29th August – 1st

September – Bournemouth Seafront, Lower Gardens and Town Centre

• Bournemouth Visual Effects and Animation Festival – 25th – 29th September – Various locations around Bournemouth

• Bournemouth Arts Festival by the Sea – September/October TBC – Various Locations

• Bournemouth Marathon Festival – 5th – 6th October • Halloween Celebrations – 31st October –

Bournemouth Lower Gardens • Christmas Light Switch On in Bournemouth – 24th

November – Bournemouth Town Centre • Christmas Events