Boscombe Beach
Sand under the Boscombe cliff lift and pier, with the surf reef offshore and beach pods along the promenade. A Seaside Award beach, so BCP Council excludes dogs from 1 May to 30 September; they are welcome from 1 October to 30 April. East of Fisherman's Walk towards Southbourne is open all year if you need somewhere in August.
Bournemouth Beach
Seven miles of sand either side of the pier, the busiest beach in the south and a Seaside Award winner. BCP Council bans dogs from all its Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches from 1 May to 30 September, and Bournemouth beach is one of them; from 1 October to 30 April dogs are allowed. Middle Chine to Durley Chine, just west, is the nearest stretch open all year.
Branksome Chine to Alum Chine
3.4 MI · 1H 45M · 60% OFF-ROADA 3.4-mile loop of an hour and three quarters along the seafront promenade between two wooded chines, returning up through the subtropical planting of Alum Chine and the pines of Branksome Dene. Flat on the prom, then 60 metres of steady climb through the chines on surfaced paths and steps. Park at Branksome Chine or Alum Chine, both pay and display, both a steep zig zag walk down to the sand and both busy from mid-morning in summer. This is the key stretch to know: BCP allows dogs all year from the western side of Alum Chine to the Branksome Chine beach office, so a swim is legal in August here when the main Bournemouth sands are shut, with leads required on the promenade and the zig zags.