A Cycling Trip to Bournemouth, Dorset, Purbeck Hills, Wimborne Minster

A group of friends in their fifties spent a weekend cycling around Bournemouth and the Dorset countryside. They are not club cyclists, preferring hybrid and commuting bikes to road bikes, which means they are not the fastest on the road but they get there in the end. Over two days they completed a couple of circular routes, including a loop taking in the Isle of Purbeck.

Where They Stayed

The base for the weekend was a large hotel on the western side of Bournemouth, easily reached from the main A338 and with a big car park. The staff were welcoming and helpful about storing the bikes in rooms inside the hotel. The buffet breakfast, particularly the choice of cereals, fruit, yoghurt and pastries, went down well before a long day in the saddle. Bedrooms were large and comfortable, though the decor was slightly dated, which was not enough to put anyone off returning.

The Cycling Routes

Isle of Purbeck and Blandford Forum

The first day’s route headed west from Bournemouth into Sandbanks, where the Sandbanks chain ferry crosses Poole Harbour. The ferry runs every 20 minutes and costs £1 for cyclists.

After the crossing, the ride took in picturesque countryside on the Isle of Purbeck, passing Corfe Castle and threading through the Purbeck Hills before turning north towards Blandford Forum. Just before Blandford, the group stopped for lunch at a pub in the village of Milton Abbas, a place as lovely as remembered, though there is a tough little climb out of the village that had been almost forgotten.

The only drawback was the busy road into Poole near the end of the trip. There are cycle paths through Poole, but be prepared to stop and check signage regularly.

The original plan was to finish the day by cycling back to the hotel along the promenade into Bournemouth, but this is not permitted between 10am and 6pm during the summer months. Check timings before attempting it. The group was stopped by a promenade ranger and took a busier road back to the hotel instead.

For the first day:

• 89.90 miles
• 3,911 ft elevation gain
• 11.8 mph average speed

North of Bournemouth and East of the New Forest

The second day was shorter and flatter, following the promenade for a gentle start to Christchurch before heading north and skirting Ringwood and the eastern edge of the New Forest. The route then went west as far as Witchampton before turning south back to Bournemouth.

It is mostly country lanes, with an off-road cycleway after a lunch stop at a cafe in the town square in Wimborne Minster. Some of the group stopped at a pub in Gussage All Saints for their lunch instead.

The second day was just what was needed to recover after the much hillier first day. Everyone arrived back at the hotel in the late afternoon, ready for the evening’s traditional end-of-trip curry.

• 60.37 miles
• 1,603 ft elevation gain
• 11.6 mph average speed

Overall

A great trip on great routes, with lovely and varied countryside, especially on the first day. There are some tough climbs through the Purbeck Hills and in the first half of that day, but much less elevation on the second day’s route. It is an area well worth returning to.