A walk through Bournemouth Gardens

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Introduction

Bournemouth Gardens run for two miles, following the Bourne Stream as it makes its way from the railway embankment at Branksome, where it emerges from a pipe, to the pier. Only as they reach the town centre for the final part of the journey do they approach ¼ mile wide.



The Gardens are split into four named sections:

• Coy Pond Gardens, alongside the pond of that name, and in the borough of Poole;
• the Upper Gardens, from the borough boundary at Branksome Wood Road to the Wessex Way;
• the Central Gardens, from the Wessex Way to The Square;
• the Lower Gardens, from The Square to the Pier Approach.

The lower part, in the town centre, is naturally the busier section and also the more formal. The farther upstream, the more unspoilt and the less frequently visited.

I offer you to take a trip with me, from the top of the Gardens (actually in the borough of Poole) down to the beach, and enjoy one of the loveliest urban walks in the land.

Coy Pond Gardens (Branksome railway embankment to Branksome Wood Road)

This is the Gardens at its most unspoilt, and is across the border in the borough of Poole.


The Gardens start with the issue of the Bourne stream from under the railway embankment:


Almost immediately we come across one of the many walkways that provide access from the surrounding roads:


The stream continues towards Branksome Wood Road flanked by grass, trees and paths, including a rockery section alongside Coy Pond Road.


And then we reach Branksome Wood Road, the first of four roads that actually cross the Gardens.


But, just before we cross the road, let’s allow ourselves a little detour and have a look at Coy Pond itself – it is just across Coy Pond Road and therefore somehow seems separate from the Gardens themselves:

Upper Gardens (Branksome Wood Road to Wessex Way)

Branksome Wood Road to Prince of Wales Road

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The first section of the Upper Gardens continues from Branksome Wood Road, a few yards downstream of which we reach the borough boundary:


The Gardens very much still retain the earlier unspoilt feel, albeit that the stream is led in a concrete channel to begin with:


The part that is less pleasant underfoot has a raised walkway, although tarmac paths continue along both extreme edges of the Gardens:


Meanwhile, there are other access points from the neighbouring roads:


We reach the second road that crosses the Gardens, namely Prince of Wales Road:

Prince of Wales Road to Wessex Way

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At Prince of Wales Road we see a sign for the Bourne Valley Greenway:

This refers to the path along the southern edge of the Gardens, which is a designated cycleway, part of the local network linking Bournemouth, Poole and the northern suburbs. Towards Coy Pond (upstream from here) the cycleway crosses the river and joins the public road network.

One of the first things we encounter when passing downstream of Prince of Wales Road is the water tower, which was built in 1883:


After that, the peaceful feel is maintained in this relatively quiet part of the Gardens, before we reach Queen’s Road.


Then there is another of those paths connecting the nearby roads:


We pass into the last section of the ‘Upper Gardens’, after which we will enter the Central Gardens.

Central Gardens (Wessex Way to The Square)

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Since 1973, the Wessex Way, town-centre by-pass, has carried traffic over the Gardens by way of two large bridges since 1973:

This is where the Upper Gardens become the Central Gardens. Bill Bryson, in his Notes from a Small Island notes that the word Pleasure used to feature in these names, but the juxtaposition of the words Lower and Pleasure (when we get farther downstream) caused some discomfort!

We are now entering the busier, more formally landscaped gardens and the first thing we encounter is the Central Gardens Tennis Centre, with its distinctive inflatable ‘bubble’ allowing all-weather play.


From here it is only a short walk to the hub of Bournemouth’s town centre, The Square. On our way along here, we will pass the cenotaph, set delightfully in the middle of the Gardens, and the Town Hall and Methodist Church to our left.


And, then, we reach the hustle and bustle of The Square:

Lower Gardens (The Square to the Pier Approach)

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Once we have crossed The Square (we will pass the plaque showing that the pedestrianised square is soon to pass its eighth anniversary but only its second ‘real’ birthday),

we find ourselves on the last stretch of the Gardens before we find ourselves on the seafront. Bill Bryson (again) said that the Gardens provide a place to relax on the long slog between one half of the town centre and the other – then again, if it were not for the Gardens there would be no long slog.

Anyhow, what a beautiful long slog it is! We pass the fountain and the ticket office on our way to the now famous balloon:


From there, we can take either the steep route alongside Westover Road, past the gallery and the aviary...

or the main path along the bottom of the valley, past the crazy golf, the bandstand and, of course, the Bourne Stream.

(During Wednesday evenings in August, the Gardens here are illuminated by candlelight in the shape of various figures
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And then we approach the Pavilion, turn right and embark on the very last stretch before we reach the Pier Approach.


I think, now that we have got this far and it is such a lovely afternoon, we ought to have a little look round and continue our journey to the end of the pier: then we really will be able to say there’s nowhere left to go!

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