Tucked into one of the wooded valleys that break the western cliffs, the Alum Chine Tropical Gardens are one of Bournemouth’s most peaceful corners. Sheltered from the wind, the chine’s mild microclimate lets sub-tropical and exotic plants thrive, and a gentle path winds down through them to the sand.
What to expect
The planting gives the gardens an unexpectedly lush, almost Mediterranean feel — palms, ferns and flowering shrubs framing the walk to the shore. It’s an easy, unhurried stroll rather than a formal garden visit, and a lovely way to reach the beach on foot.
A literary connection
Alum Chine is linked to the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, who lived in Bournemouth in the 1880s, and the area is remembered as part of the town’s Victorian heyday as a health resort.
Nearby
At the foot of the chine you reach Alum Chine beach, one of the quieter, family-friendly stretches of Bournemouth’s seven miles of sand. Neighbouring Durley Chine is a short walk east along the promenade.
