One place we often walk is through the central and upper gardens in Bournemouth.
There’s always something different to see as regards to flora and fauna and with different shades of light and dark.
The Lower Gardens are quite short and run from the pier to the town centre and there’s always something going on so it’s much busier here.
Mini golf, bandstand, refreshment kiosks and the avery can be found along this stretch.
This is where you’ll find the Kids festival throughout the summer and activities like the Candlelight illuminations. It’s also packed with people during the Air Festival too.
The Central Gardens and Upper Gardens are much quieter. Taz doesn’t like crowds too much and here it’s a great place to reflect as you’re walking along.
The war memorial is in the central gardens. The photo below was taken in June.
There’s a cycle path (The Bourne Valley Greenway) that runs from the central gardens to Branksome. We walk part of the way on this path and have to be careful of Taz chasing the squirrels when a cyclist comes by …
When it’s warmer we often stop at the cafe next to the tennis courts (people watching? me?) and sit outside with a latte.
There’s also a play park along this part of the gardens with a zip wire, swings and slides (a great place to entertain the children!).
I love the colours in the spring/summer from formally planted shrubs.
Taken in June.
Taken in August:
The Upper Gardens have a more natural feel to them. There’s a number of red bridges that cross over the stream.
Taken mid-October.
Autumn is a great time to catch those colours!
The water tower in the gardens was built between 1883 and 1903. There was going to be a water wheel to pump water to an ornamental fountain in the middle of the stream. I don’t think it ever happened. From the angle we usually approach it, I do feel as if I’m stumbled onto the set of Once Upon A Time!
It’s never ‘busy’ so I was quite surprised last time we were walking along to hear my name called and it was our neighbour’s daughter!
Some people park on the roads just outside of Bournemouth and use the gardens to walk through into town.
There were still some flowers blooming on our recent walk.
But nature is definitely shedding her summer coat.
(a hand belonging to a giant maybe)
The gardens eventually lead on to rockeries and Coy Pond from where the path is unpaved and can get very boggy!
Connecting with nature is a great way to relieve stress. What activities bring back your smile?
You may also like:
[wp_show_posts id=”45301″]