2020-09-28 – Hengisbury to Bournemouth

11.3km along the Coast and 10.7 Inland

Although the day started sunny, it was getting more cloudy all day. Today we started later than usual as we had an appointment in Mudeford at midday so parked at Southborne and then walked across the grass and along the Noddy train route to the beach huts on the Hengisbury spit.

These are some of the most expensive beach huts in England, and probably the World. The most expensive have double aspect, being able to see Christchurch Harbour on one side and the Channel on the other.

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We started at the landing stage where the ferry comes from Mudeford Quay and walked back along the beach and then up to Hengisbury Head, for good views of the spit and Christchurch Harbour. Back past the car to check that there were no parking restrictions and then along the promenade. Not the most interesting promenade, though an interesting selection of Beach Huts, starting with numbers over 1000 near Southborne.

Past one beach lift, though not currently working and then to Boscombe Pier – the first Pier on this trip. Walking to the end of the Pier, the crazy golf being closed, presumably due to Corona virus restrictions, but from the end there was a better view of five Cruise ships anchored off Old Harry rocks.

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Boscombe has been redeveloped about ten years ago, following a rather unsuccessful attempt to build a Surf Reef, but was a strange mixture today with some of the bars open, but not many shops.

It’s a little over a mile between Boscombe Pier and it’ bigger brother, Bournemouth Pier – not as elegant but no doubt more commercially successful in normal times.  The area around the pier entrance has been redeveloped and was quite busy.

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Having completed the walk along the promenade, we returned along the cliff top, though descended to Boscombe Pier. From Boscombe back to Southborne most of the way was through gardens and along clifftop paths rather than the coast road, and much of this is the official Coastal Path.