The workshop and conference will be held in the Lansdowne area of Bournemouth. Bournemouth town centre proper, centred around Bournemouth Square, is a short walk away (15-20 minutes) along Christchurch Road. The Lansdowne offers many eateries and drinking places along Holdenhurst Road and around the roundabout itself: see the included map of the immediate Lansdowne area, with many of the below facilities marked.
Coffee & snacks:
Naked café on Christchurch Road is highly recommended for coffee and a range of healthy (and less healthy) snacks and breakfasts. Barista Brothers on Holdenhurst Road is another good option for coffee. All of the university buildings around the Lansdowne (in blue on the map) also have cafés offering decent coffee and snacks. Starbucks, further down Holdenhurst Road, provides the usual options.
In town, Flirt Café on the Triangle at the top of Commercial Road, South Coast Roast on Richmond Hill and the café on the first floor of Waterstones Bookshop in the Quadrant Arcade off Christchurch Road are all good independent alternatives to the multiple branches of Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Neros.
Lunches/take-out meals:
Ida’s bakery on Christchurch Road offers good sandwiches and a great range of freshly baked cakes, pastries etc. (their cream éclairs come highly recommended). Sands 2, right next door, is another sandwich provider. A range of the usual fast-food options line Holdenhurst Road including Subway, Wok2go and KFC, while more local providers include Bambu Chinese and Mexigo cheap and cheerful Mexican food (recommended).
Sit-down meals:
On Holdenhurst Road, Mexigo (cheap and cheerful Mexican food) and La Piccola (reasonably priced Italian) are recommended. Bournemouth Tandoori provides fairly standard Indian fare – Dosa World, on the Christchurch Road heading into town, offers much better (South) Indian food (NB; doesn’t take cards).
If none of these appeal, heading down the hill along Christchurch Road will take you past restaurants and take-out joints offering pretty much every cuisine you can think of, from African to Korean via Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese and Australian. Down in the town centre itself there is the usual range of eateries: recommended are Flit Café bar on the Triangle, Ojo Rojo Mexican (at the top of Commercial Road), Coriander (another Mexican place slightly hidden up Richmond Hill from the Square) Franco Manca pizza on the Square itself. The new BH2/Odeon development just off the square includes all the standard chain options: the Real Greek; Five Guys; Las Iguanas; Ask; Prezzo; Nandos; Chiquito; TGI Fridays and Miller & Carter steakhouse.
On the beach front itself, just past the oceanarium, West Beach is a slightly pricier but excellent seafood restaurant
Pubs/places to drink:
The Christopher Creeke on the Lansdowne roundabout is a Wetherspoons pub, part of a chain well known in the UK for providing good-value, if not exactly cordon bleu, pub meals. The drinks range is huge and usually includes a variety of niche options for all tastes. We have a table reserved here for immediately after the workshop on the 22nd and 23rd.
The Inferno, almost immediately opposite the Executive Business Centre, is a studenty sports bar with a microbrewery on-site, offering fairly standard pub grub.
The Anvil is a small rock-themed pub/bar that often has live music but no food.
O’Neills on the Lansdowne Roundabout is part of a chain of Irish theme pubs. The food here is pretty good pub fare; sports are often shown on the big screen and there is live music a couple of nights a week so it can get quite loud.
Again, if none of these appeal there are more options heading down Christchurch Road towards town, mainly chain pubs including The George Tapps, Revolution, Yates, Walkabout and another couple of Wetherspoons pubs, the Brasshouse, The Moon in the Square and the Mary Shelley (NB: Mary Shelley’s grave is located in the churchyard of St Peter’s, just opposite the Mary Shelley pub!). Sadly, Bournemouth town centre is not really buzzing with good independent places to drink; if you are in town and don’t fancy a chain pub then head uphill up Commercial Road to the Triangle, from where you will be in striking distance of the Four Horsemen, Bournemouth Brewhouse and Kitchen, and the Goat and Tricycle, which are probably your best bets. Another option is Sixty Million Postcards, on Exeter Road just behind the BH2/Odeon development.
Shops and facilities:
There is an ATM outside Tesco Express on Holdenhurst Road very close to the workshop/conference venue.
Lloyds pharmacy is at the Lansdowne Roundabout end of Holdenhurst Road, and there is also a pharmacy in the large Asda beside the train station.
Lansdowne Post Office is just off the Lansdowne Roundabout on Lansdowne Crescent.
Copy plus on Lansdowne Road offers the usual printing facilities.
The centre of Bournemouth, running from the bottom of Christchurch Road through the Square and up Commercial Road on the other side, offers all the usual shopping facilities.
Further afield:
The seafront is easily reached from Lansdowne or town centre. From Lansdowne, walk straight down Meyrick Road (the road opposite Holdenhurst Road) and you will come to the front. You will see two piers: the one to the East (left) is Boscombe Pier and to West (right) is Bournemouth Pier. Just to the west is a zig-zag that will take you down to the beach. Heading straight along East Overcliff Drive will take you down to Bournemouth Pier, past the Russell Cotes Museum – this is well worth a visit if you have time, and the café also comes highly recommended (and is free to enter). There are also a couple of good, if pricey, eating options here: West Beach seafood restaurant on the beach front just past the Oceanarium, and the Crab at Bournemouth, up Exeter Road opposite the Bournemouth International Centre.
The Pier/seafront and Bournemouth Square are connected via a pleasant 10 minute walk through the Lower Gardens.
If you have the time and inclination to explore further afield, Westbourne (to the West of Bournemouth) is a quick bus-ride away and offers a range of more up-market eateries and shops. In the other direction, Boscombe has a more edgy vibe but has some good places to consume coffee and cake (Boscanova café, the Crooked Book and Little Pickle Deli Café all come highly recommended) and drink (Chaplins & the Cellar Bar has a great atmosphere and lovely beer garden). Down on the seafront below Boscombe (follow Sea Road down from the town centre) Urban Reef has a great independent café downstairs and a reasonably priced restaurant upstairs.