Adventures around Bournemouthwith PlusBus
Coastal views and fresh-brewed coffee; palm trees and pre-Raphaelite beauties… Bournemouth has a wealth of lovely things to discover, all within a short bus ride of the station. When you buy your train ticket, simply add on a full day’s unlimited bus travel with a PlusBus ticket; it’s valid on the open-topped bus to Sandbanks and all the regular services around the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Here are just three of the hundreds of adventures you could have with a PlusBus ticket in Bournemouth.
-
-
1. Explore Russell-Cotes House, Gallery and Garden
Looking out over miles of golden Dorset sand with clear views in fine weather of the chalky stacks of Old Harry Rocks, Russell-Cotes is an extraordinary museum of art and craft. This flamboyant, palm-guarded villa on the cliffs is packed with stained glass, sculpture, peacock friezes, and Alhambra-inspired alcoves. Hotelier Merton Russell-Cotes finished building his dream house in 1901 and presented it to his wife Annie for her birthday. Designed partly as a gallery for their paintings, sculptures and worldwide travel mementos, it houses an incredible collection, including rosewood cabinets, gold-inlaid plates, and a pouting pre-Raphaelite Venus by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
- Lots of different buses from Bournemouth railway station stop five minutes’ walk away from the Russell-Cotes galleries at the top of Bath Hill, including bus 4, bus 6 and bus 17.
- There’s so much to see when you get there, you’ll probably need a break. Luckily, there’s an airy café in the new wing of the house, serving ploughman’s lunches, cream teas, New Forest ice cream and Dorset apple cake.
- Don’t miss the view from the conservatory, with its curved glass roof, or the fabulously ornate fireplaces, created by a Bournemouth craftsman to feature pictures from the collection.
-
-
2. Ride the Breezer bus 50 to Sandbanks
Salty sea air gusts across the open top deck of the bus, which is tall enough to brush through trees in Bournemouth’s green suburbs. You can peer into the gardens of Sandbanks’ multi-millionaires and spot cormorants diving into the waves.
- Open-topped bus 50 heads hourly towards Swanage. The PlusBus zone ends at the chain ferry, but you can hop off, pay £1 to sail over as a foot passenger to Studland Bay, with fabulous views of Brownsea Island, and it’s free to come back. There are coastal paths here for walking between the grassy dunes and the boat-bobbing sea.
- The trip through Bournemouth’s leafy streets on bus 50, past palms and evergreen holm oaks, is a treat. Look out for black-and-white, orange-billed oystercatchers on the long sandy beaches.
- Sandbanks is famous for its multi-million pound houses. For a special occasion or a taste of how the other half live, book a table at the Rick Stein restaurant with unbeatable views from the big windows across Poole harbour. It’s close to the Pavilion bus stop, which is right by the water – a lovely place to wait for the bus. Bus 60 also stops here on journey between Sandbanks Ferry and Poole.
-
3. Gardens and wooded valleys
The PlusBus ticket will get you all the way to Christchurch Priory or to Upton Country Park on the northern shore of Poole Harbour, but it’s also handy for exploring Bournemouth’s wooded chines (valleys) and subtropical Victorian town gardens.
- The Grade II-listed Upper, Central, and Lower Gardens run through the centre of town and were designed in the nineteenth century. With flowerbeds, smooth lawns, tall trees and the little River Bourne running through them, these linear gardens make an idyllic stroll. Lots of buses stop beside the Lower Gardens on Westover Road, including frequent buses M1 and M2 from the railway station.
- Another beautiful walk that it’s hard to believe is so close to the town centre is the couple-of-miles’ stroll down leafy Alum Chine. Chine is a Dorset word meaning a deep valley, once carved by a stream of river heading down towards the sea. Start from the colourful Westbourne area, with its elegant arcade. Several buses, including the open-topped bus 50, buses M1 and M2 stop at Westbourne Post Office.
- Patisserie, lingerie, quirky cards and artisanal bakes, balls of wool in the chemist and energy balls in the coffee merchant’s: there’s plenty to explore among the independent shops and cafés of Westbourne. Once you’re ready to set off, stroll down Alum Chine Road, head left into West Cliff Road and soon right along the tarmac path that leads down the valley, under high bridges and beech trees. Look out for squirrels, scampering through the branches and over the paths!
- Where the valley meets the beach, you can detour left into a 1920s Tropical Garden, where paths zig-zag down the cliff through yucca, bamboo and eucalyptus. From here, you could walk along the beach to the seafront Chineside cafe. From here, you can climb up Durley Chine Steps and up through the Scots pines to Durley Gardens. You can pick up bus 50 again from the end of the road back to the railway station. Look out (from the open top deck if it’s fine) for gardens and elegant buildings, including the tall spire of St Peter’s church.
-
Discover more offers and days out in Dorset with Good Journey. For more money-saving tips see our handy guides to trains and buses.
