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Our journey begins at Bournemouth. Where are you? If you're at the London Heathrow airport then walk to the airport's central bus station. Take the bus from the central bus station to Bournemouth. If you're at the London Gatwick airport then walk to the airport's train station. The train from Gatwick airport to Bournemouth is a direct route.
Our trail begins at the train station, located at (1). From the train station, walk southeast to Holdenhurst road at (2). Turn right and walk down Holdenhurst Road to the roundabout.
At (3) there's a stairway leading underneath the road to the center of the roundabout. The English call this very short underground tunnel a subway, and it's marked as one. When you're at the center of the roundabout, look for the sign that reads, "This exit for Town Centre, Bournemouth Pier and Beaches". Take this exit and you should end up walking southwest on Holdenhurst Road.
If you need to send an E-mail to your friends or family, then try using the phone booth down the street from (7). The location of the phone booth is marked on our street map of Bournemouth. The phone has a keyboard that lets you send E-mail.
During the Second World War, Bournemouth was largely a garrison town with soldiers being billeted in different hotels. The nearby Poole Harbour was a departure point for many ships participating in the D-Day landings.
Bournemouth was not a main target of bombing, but it suffered from German air raids. The town was on the route of many German bombing runs to Britain's great industrial centres. On their way home, German bomber pilots often released their unused bombs on the people of Bournemouth.
Years after the Second World War, Bournemouth recovered and became a popular place to holiday and enjoy some of England's best weather. At (16) is the Bournemouth pier. There are several tourist attractions in this area.
The walk from (16) to (23) is level, paved, and a popular place during the summer months. Much of the trail is shared with bikes. You shouldn't have any problems arriving at (23). If you need to use a public rest room, you will find many of them along the way.
At (23) the esplanade comes to an end. Turn right, and walk along the sidewalk to (25). At (25) there's a bus stop. You can catch the bus from here to the ferry, or you can continue walking on the sidewalks to (35).
At (35) you need to catch a lift on the chain ferry. The reason it's called the chain ferry is because the ferry actually pulls itself across the sea using two giant chains that are attached at both ends of the two peninsulas.
The chain ferry crosses every 15 minutes between the early morning to late at night, and it's not too expensive. Visit the pickatrail.com Web site for more information. At the chain ferry we leave the big city and enter England's rural countryside. |
