Move over, Newquay and Croyde. Bournemouth is setting itself up as the UK’s
first choice for surf-loving softies, with swish new hotels and bars – and
Europe’s first artificial surf reef.
First seen Down Under, artificial surf reefs have proved a huge success in
places where waves are not reliable enough to attract a regular surfing
crowd. The £1.4 million reef is being constructed east of Boscombe pier in
Bournemouth Bay. It is made out of huge sausage-shaped sandbags that will be
lowered into a formation the size of a football pitch in about 20ft (6m) of
water, 800ft offshore. Enthusiasts can follow the project on the web-cam set
up by Sorted Surf Shop (www.sortedsurfshop.co.uk).
Once it is completed in September, the effects are likely to mimic those of a
natural reef, providing large, barrelling waves, a genuine challenge for
surfers. Boscombe has 77 good surfing days a year, but the day I went wasn’t
one of them – I spent a toe-chilling afternoon looking for a ripple on a
millpond sea and then gave up and checked out the new interactive dive cage
at the Oceanarium instead.
Mark Smith, head of Bournemouth Tourism, hopes that big waves will prove
irresistible to what he calls the “stockbroker surfers”. “They leave the
boardroom on a Friday, travel down to Bournemouth, grab a surfboard and
wetsuit and ride the waves to relax.”
But these high-class water-babies are unlikely to be happy with a weekend in a
down-at-heel B&B. And this is where Urban Beach comes in. The 12-room
hotel and bar is run by former Londoners Mark and Fiona Cribb, who bought
the Victorian property in 2005 and set about a dechintz before reopening it
as the hippest hotel in the area. Rooms are comfortable, with neutral
palettes accented by decorative touches – a chandelier here, a silk throw
there – huge beds and flat-screen TVs.
Owner-manager Mark is relentlessly enthusiastic. Need a map? No problem. Want
to stow your board away while you go out on the town? Sure thing. Need a
dinner recommendation? Well, er, there’s Pierpoint, a Mod-European place
around the corner. Otherwise you’ll need to head into town, two miles away.
There is not much to do at night near the reef, although the beautifully
restored Victorian Opera House in Boscombe (www.operahouse.co.uk)
is due to reopen on June 1 with a vast array of events and artists.
Alternatively, Exeter Road, with its bars and funky crowd, is a quick cab ride
away. The current favourite is Sixty Million Postcards (www.sixtymillionpostcards.com),
owned by DJ Jon Carter. Kloot and 1812 are also popular.
Back in Boscombe, the Urban Beach’s bar is a safe bet for a chilled-out beer.
The sophisticated but laid-back atmosphere epitomises the holiday feeling
that stressed-out, surf-seeking Londoners crave. And, as Urban Beach
regular, Kimberley Gilbert, says: “It’s great that I won’t need to spend my
weekends driving all the way to Cornwall. Boscombe is only a couple of hours
from London, which means less time in the car and more in the water.”
Dedicated surfers will have to wait some months yet before testing out the
results of the reef, but judging by the smattering of expensive cars parked
outside the hotel, it looks as if the renaissance of Bournemouth’s surf
scene has already begun.
Need to know
Emily Mathieson stayed at Urban Beach (01202 301509, www.urbanbeachhotel.co.uk),
which has B&B doubles from £90.
Further information: www.bournemouth.co.uk.
