About the place

Great beach and tons of it. Boscombe proper hasn't got the best reputation but those problems are further back in the Lansdowne area - interestingly you never see people begging on the beach or prom (maybe the sand is a barrier, maybe the pickings are slim or maybe it is policed differently).

The area around Boscombe beach offers volleyball, hundreds of beach huts at hundreds of pounds a week, a few pubs and a rather empty pier.

Facilities

For people like us - Bocombe's facilities win hands down. The area either side of the pier has the best surf and there are life guard huts on both beaches (vision being obscured by the hulking great wooden thing inbetween).

On the prom nearby Urban Reef there is an excellent hot shower and changing area (not cubicles) - free of charge and hot year round (unlike the rather sad and seemingly permanently closed affair at the Bistro on the Beach) - that's the clincher as the weather and water chill.

Right next door is Sorted Surf shop who provide lessons and hire boards, and further along is the smaller (but our favourite underdog) SurfSteps which open all winter and who offer big dscounts for Ocean Sports Club members.

You can park right on the beach on the west side of the Pier outside SurfSteps (Underclifff car park) and charges drop to barely anything after Oct 28th ('low season'. NSS), or further up the hill if the sand is blowing and you want your car to be the same colour when you come back.

Food and Drink

Urban Reef

One of the Hug Club group and right on the prom at Boscombe, the Reef has its issues (slow service being the main one, but the hidden toilets are another and the unpredictable nature of when what part is open for what) but the position is excellent. Permanently staffing the upstairs bar would help a lot.

They aren’t shy about charging mind – its an expensive place to go so if we have done a pier to pier then we tend to opt for the Harvester nearby, but for a drink and a chat it’s a nice environment.

Harvester

Exactly what you'd expect, but with sand. You can get table service sometimes - handy for us as we turn up barefoot after a fin swim. We haven't yet walked to the bar in fins as I only just thought of it but..