Bournemouth West Accommodation

West Cliff Lift saves the climb up to the town centre
Alternatively take the zig zag path up to the top from West Undercliff Promenade
Bounemouth beach huts for hire at West Cliff

West Bournemouth Tourist Information

The west of Bournemouth is known as Westbourne. The area along the seafront and running up the chines are known as West Cliff. The mix of verdant gardens and fine sandy beaches you find here are a good mix for those hot sunny days where you can seek shelter in the shade of the gardens if the beach heat is too intense.

At the base of the chines and along West Overcliff Promenade you'll find car parks, refreshment kiosks, cafes and restaurants. A popular walk is from Alum Chine along the prom to Bournemouth Pier which will take you past a lot of Bournemouth's attractions.

Featured Dorset Accommodation

Roundhouse Hotel - Lansdowne

Character hotel in Bournemouth with restaurant and carvery located close to the town centre. Conference facilities, disabled access, parking, 24 hour reception.

£39 to £110 Rates from

Robert Louis Stephenson in West Cliff

In the nineteenth century Bournemouth became known as one of the health resorts around Britain's coast and the Victorians started flocking to the town for recuperation and taking the salt air.

Robert Louis Stephenson was one tuberculosis sufferer who came to Bournemouth for his health during which time he also wrote "Kidnapped". Between 1885 and 1888, Stephenson lived at Skerryvore at the top of Alum Chine Road in West Cliff. The house was destroyed during the Second World War but there is a small memorial garden in its place.

Alum Chine is the biggest of the four chines in Bournemouth. Chines are steep river valleys cut into the cliffs. In Bournemouth these have often been planted up with gardens and have shaded paths running through them which can be welcome relief from the summer sun.

Alum Chine has tropical gardens originally planted up in the 1920s with evergreen oaks, yuccas and oddities like Australian bottlebrush. The wave-shaped dry stone walls are made from Portland stone and remind us its origins as an embankment for the local fishermen. There is a Tropical Plant Trail you can follow to view species from all over the world. Check the link right for information. For the kids, there's a Treasure Island themed play area - carrying on the Robert Louis Stephenson theme! Alum Chine is off Mountbatten Road in Westbourne and nearby is Argyll Gardens on West Overcliff Drive.

West Cliff Railway Bournemouth's Cliff Lifts

West Cliff railway is slightly shorter than East Cliff Lift. It was built shortly after East Cliff and takes you up 145 feet from the beach up to the Bournemouth International Centre.

Bournemouth's Cliff Lifts run between Easter and the end of October each year. They are usually in operation from 9am-5.30pm. During July and August they open until 6.15pm in the evening.

Featured Dorset Accommodation

Roundhouse Hotel - Lansdowne

Character hotel in Bournemouth with restaurant and carvery located close to the town centre. Conference facilities, disabled access, parking, 24 hour reception.

£39 to £110 Rates from