Autumn walks in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Autumn is the best season for walking in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: the paths are quiet, the light is low and gold, the sea is still mild and the heath and woods change colour by the week. These six walks cover the whole conurbation, from the harbour mouth at Christchurch to the shore of Holes Bay in Poole.

Distances are approximate and on the conservative side, times assume an easy pace with stops, and every walk has a café or a pub on the route. For the colder months after this, our winter walks in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole picks up where this leaves off.

Which is the best autumn walk in Bournemouth?

Hengistbury Head, the headland between Southbourne and Christchurch Harbour, is the best single walk in the area. A loop over the top and back along the harbour side is about three miles and takes around an hour and a half, with views to the Isle of Wight, the Needles and the Purbeck hills.

Start at the car park and café by the Double Dykes, the Iron Age earthworks that cut the headland off from the mainland. Climb the path up the headland for the view east over Christchurch Harbour and west along the whole of Bournemouth Bay, then drop down past the old quarry pond to the harbour side and come back on the flat road past the beach huts. In October the heather and bracken turn bronze and the reed beds catch the evening light.

The Bournemouth Guide's Hengistbury Head page has parking and the visitor centre, and our own Hengistbury Head guide has the wildlife. The land train that runs out to Mudeford Sandbank usually stops at the end of October, according to the head's own site, so walk it if you are later in the year.

Can you walk the chines from Bournemouth Pier?

Yes. From Bournemouth Pier the promenade runs west past Durley Chine to Alum Chine, about a mile and a half of flat, paved seafront. Turn inland up Alum Chine through the gardens and its suspension bridge, then either return along the clifftop or carry on west to Branksome Chine.

The chines are steep-sided wooded valleys cut into the cliff, and they hold the autumn colour better than anywhere else on the seafront. Alum Chine Tropical Gardens is the best known, planted with exotic trees and shrubs that shelter from the wind. The whole loop from the pier to Alum Chine and back over the top is roughly three miles, with a stiff climb out of the chine.

This is the walk to do from a Flexiestays apartment, because it starts at the West Cliff. It is also the one to save for a grey day, since the prom and the chines are sheltered from most weather.

Where can you see the Brent geese in autumn?

Stanpit Marsh in Christchurch is the place. It is a 65-hectare nature reserve on the edge of Christchurch Harbour where the Stour and the Avon meet, with salt marsh, reed beds and mudflats, and a level circular path. The dark-bellied Brent geese usually arrive from the Arctic around October.

More than 300 bird species have been recorded at Stanpit, according to the RSPB's New Forest local group, and in autumn the curlew, little egrets and black-tailed godwits are easy to find. New Forest ponies graze the marsh. The small visitor centre is run by volunteers, and the board outside lists the week's sightings.

Park at the Stanpit Recreation Ground, or walk out from Christchurch Quay. The loop takes about an hour, longer if you stop to watch the birds, and the paths are made and flat. Combine it with the town: our things to do in Christchurch covers the Priory and the Quay.

What about a coastal walk to Highcliffe?

From Mudeford Quay to Highcliffe Castle is about two miles along the shore, past Avon Beach, Friars Cliff and the woods at Steamer Point, before the cliff rises to the castle. It is easy walking, with the Isle of Wight ahead most of the way and the castle's tea room at the end.

In autumn the castle grounds open from 7am and close at 7.30pm in October, so there is time for a late start. Our guide to Mudeford Quay, the spit and Highcliffe has the ferry across to the spit and the castle's opening days.

Is there a good autumn walk in Poole?

Upton Country Park on Holes Bay is the Poole walk for autumn: woodland, lawns, a walled garden and a shoreline path along the salt marsh, with a bird hide looking over the mud. It is free to enter, the gates close at 6pm from October, and you can make a loop of two to three miles.

The wading birds are the reason to go now. As the tide rises it pushes them closer to The Lookout hide, and the woods along the shore turn at the same time. Our guide to Upton Country Park and Poole's parks covers parking, the play park and the tea rooms.

And a short one for a wet afternoon?

Boscombe Chine Gardens to Boscombe Pier is the short walk for when the weather closes in: under a mile down the wooded chine to the seafront, with a café at the top and the pier at the bottom. You can be back under a roof within half an hour.

Boscombe Chine Gardens has a water feature, play areas and The Squirrel Café. At the bottom, our guide to Boscombe Pier and the Overstrand picks up the seafront.

Tips for walking in autumn

Three things make an autumn walk here easier. Check sunset before you start, because the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October and dusk comes early. Pack a waterproof, as showers blow in fast off the sea. And check the tide for the harbour paths and the beach sections, which can narrow at high water.

The Bournemouth Guide's weather page and autumn in Bournemouth help with timing, and Bournemouth out of season covers what stays open from October to April.

Staying for a walking weekend

An autumn walking weekend works well from the West Cliff, where the chines walk starts at the door and Hengistbury Head and Christchurch are a short bus or train ride away. Flexiestays has eight aparthotels there, and a short-term stay booked direct is cheaper than through the online travel agents. If you are driving, the Help Centre explains parking at your building.