Tour of Bournemouth, England

Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the County of Dorset in Southern England.

Bournemouth has seven miles of golden sands and sparkling sea. The vibrant cosmopolitan town has it all - a vast variety of attractions in and around Bournemouth, shops, restaurants, holiday accommodation, buzzing nightlife, events, theatres, shows and endless countryside with beautiful award-winning gardens.

There are also many watersports, including Europe's first artificial surf reef in Boscombe.

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The Bournemouth Pier, that can be seen today, is the third pier built on this location. In the autumn of 1878, work began on a design for this iron pier. Two years later, after costing £21,600 to construct, the pier was formally opened August 11th 1880 by the Lord Mayor of London.

The new pier was 835 feet in length, although extensions in 1894 and 1905 took it up to 1000 feet.

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Bournemouth has 7 miles (11 km) of sandy beaches that run from Hengistbury Head in the east to Sandbanks, in Poole, in the west.

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Bournemouth Pier offers the perfect place to cruise the bay and harbour.

From here, you can also enjoy a scenic cruise East towards the Isle of Wight or head West along Dorset's historic Jurassic Coast to Swanage. Also, there are often speedboat boat rides from Bournemouth Pier.

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Bournemouth Oceanarium is situated next to the Bournemouth Pier.

Explore the secrets of the ocean in an adventure that will take you to some of the world's most amazing waters.

The Oceanarium is a fully interactive experience with touch screen games, feeding demonstrations and talks, plasma screen documentaries, walk-through underwater tunnel and exhibits.

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The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum is situated about 0.4 miles east of the Bournemouth Pier.

This is one of the most fascinating and unique museums in the world, comprising art galleries and museum, a licensed cafe, a shop and a children’s area. An ideal place for learning, exploring and socializing. Admission is free.

Situated about a 5 minute walk east of Bournemouth Pier.

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The Bournemouth Eye is situated about 0.4 miles north of the Bournemouth Pier.

The Bournemouth Eye is a balloon attached to a steel cable allowing tourists to be lifted to 500 feet so they can see for miles. It is centrally located in the Lower Gardens between the Town Square and the Pier Approach..

The Bournemouth Eye Balloon will return for the start of the 2010 season at Easter. All the other attractions in the Lower Gardens and Pier Approach are open all year round.

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The Upper, Central and Lower Gardens are situated about 0.4 miles north of the Bournemouth Pier.

The Lower garden hosts a number of events including the popular candle illuminations which attract thousands of spectators on summer evenings.

The Upper and Central gardens are quieter, ideal for taking some time out to relax or to enjoy a summer picnic.

Bournemouth has 2,000 acres of parks and gardens that have won three Britain in Bloom Awards in the past six years.

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St. Peter's Church is situated about 0.5 miles northeast of the Bournemouth Pier on Hinton Road, in the centre of Bournemouth.

The church is the towns most notable building. The owners have recently unveiled a brand new notice board revealing the tombstone locations of some of the iconic figures who have been part of Bournemouth's history, that are buried in their churchyard.

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The Jurassic Coast is a popular Day Tour, a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England.

The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of 95 miles.

Durdle Door (sometimes spelled Durdle Dor) as seen right, is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset. This is the main attraction on the tour, about 23 miles southwest of Bournemouth.

Lulworth Castle, 20 miles southwest of Bournemouth, can also be visited on the tour.

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Lulworth Castle, 21 miles southwest of Bournemouth, is a popular day tour from Bournemouth. It is situated in East Lulworth village, 3 miles north-east of Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.

This is a hunting lodge, built as a mock castle 1607 - 10 by Thomas Howard. In the Civil War, Lulworth Castle was badly damaged. In 1643, the estate was purchased by the Weld family. The interior was remodeled in the 18th and 19th centuries removing all traces of the original.

Damaged by fire in 1929, it remained a shell until the end of the 20th century. Still owned by the Weld family, but the Castle is cared for by English Heritage who have restored much of the building. Set in parkland with views and a church.

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Stonehenge is a popular Day Tour from Bournemouth, 38 miles north, a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 2 miles west of Amesbury, 8 miles north of Salisbury.

This is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. It sits at the centre of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.

The tour also visits Salisbury Cathedral.

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Salisbury Cathedral is another popular Day Tour, 28 miles north of Bournemouth, with the highest spire of any church in Britain.

Enjoy spectacular views as you explore the roof spaces and tower, climbing 332 steps in easy stages by narrow winding spiral staircases to reach the foot of the spire 225 feet above ground level. From here you can see up into the spire through the medieval scaffold, and from the outside you can look over the city and surrounding countryside.

This tour also visits Stonehenge.

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The City of Bath is another popular Day Tour, 67 miles north of Bournemouth, a city founded among surrounding hills, in the valley of the River Avon around naturally occurring hot springs. An area where the Romans built baths and a temple, giving it the name Aquae Sulis.

Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa resort during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture, crafted from Bath Stone.

The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year.

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Oxford is another popular Day Tour, 93 miles north of Bournemouth, a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England.

Oxford is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world.

Buildings in Oxford reflect every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera, the hub of the city.

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Kingston Lacy is a popular place to visit, 14 miles northwest of Bournemouth centre, the home from 1633 of the Bankes family, now in the care of the National Trust.

The Restoration mansion was designed by Sir Roger Pratt. In the 19th century, the house was altered by Sir Charles Barry for William John Bankes who transformed the house into a Italianate palazzo to house the paintings and works of art he collected.

The house has paintings by Titian and Van Dyck and a collection of Egyptian artefacts. 250 acres of park and gardens.

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Athelhampton (also known as Admiston or Adminston), 22 miles west of Bournemouth centre, is one of the finest 15th-century manor houses in England, set in superb gardens.

This is a privately owned country house on 160 acres of parkland, located five miles east of Dorchester, Dorset. The house is now open for public visits.

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For more information on Bournemouth, visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bournemouth.