Christmas-themed beach huts in Bournemouth

© Allouphoto/Alam

Christmas by the beach. Bournemouth beach huts

It might not be beach season, but Bournemouth has other attractions at this time of year. This south coast resort lights up instead with a free seasonal trail of more than 100 glittering Christmas trees and illuminations. Featured on our homepage today are some of the town’s iconic beach huts which were given a festive paint job for the trail in 2019, perfect for those Christmas selfies. These are just a handful of nearly 2,000 beach huts along Bournemouth’s beachfront - that's about 10% of all beach huts in the UK.

Evolved from the wheeled bathing machines used by the Victorians to preserve their modesty, these colourful wooden cabins are favourites of the British seaside. The green ‘elf’ hut in our image is said to be the UK’s oldest public beach hut. Marked with a blue plaque, it was built in 1909 and is still hired out today by beachgoers wanting a front row seat by the sea.