Cycling
Bournemouth and Poole are great for cycling. There are lots of cycle paths, the attitude of
the drivers is pretty good towards us cyclists, and you can usually get from one place to another
safely on smooth and quiet roads. You may, however, encounter several hills.
Useful links
bh101 cycle routes - a work in progress. Highly detailed guides, with photographs and other useful details, to various cycle routes within the town.
Cycle map - for Bournemouth, Poole, and Christchurch. This is a great map! It details off-road routes, on-road ones, places to secure your bike, and bike shops! It's in Adobe PDF format (use the Acrobat program to zoom!).
Cycling in Bournemouth - a useful section on Bournemouth council's website.
Cycling in Poole - an equally useful section on Poole council's website.
Sustrans - is a charity promoting cycling, and the National Cycle Network (part of which can be found in our town!).
bh101 cycle routes - a work in progress. Highly detailed guides, with photographs and other useful details, to various cycle routes within the town.
Cycle map - for Bournemouth, Poole, and Christchurch. This is a great map! It details off-road routes, on-road ones, places to secure your bike, and bike shops! It's in Adobe PDF format (use the Acrobat program to zoom!).
Cycling in Bournemouth - a useful section on Bournemouth council's website.
Cycling in Poole - an equally useful section on Poole council's website.
Sustrans - is a charity promoting cycling, and the National Cycle Network (part of which can be found in our town!).
Summer Cycling on the Prom!
There's a lot of confusion over this. Poole and Bournemouth Councils differ on the time of year that cycling is restricted for starters, and the times are slightly different too.
In Bournemouth cycling is restricted in July and August. During which time you may not cycle on the prom during the hours of 10:00am to 6:00pm.
In Poole cycling is restricted from mid-June to mid-September. During which time you may not cycle on the prom during the hours of 10:00am to 7:00pm.
You'll be able to tell whether you're in Bournemouth or Poole by reading the signs as you go!
Outside of these hours (or months) you may cycle along the promenade anywhere apart from Pier Approach, the Zig-zag paths (you'd be crazy to cycle up them anyway), the slopes that lead down to Pier Approach from East Overcliff (along Imax building) and West Overcliff (along BIC), Middle Chine, and Bournemouth Lower Gardens (there is a cycle path that runs behind these however!).
There is a 10mph speed limit for cyclists on the promenade. And you should obviously cycle carefully as the beach and prom can get very busy!
Coming soon on bh101
I intend the cycling section to be very comphrehensive. With detailed maps and photographs of all the best routes.
I intend the cycling section to be very comphrehensive. With detailed maps and photographs of all the best routes.