This panoramic picture shows the underside of Bournemouth Pier. The wet sand throws up dramatic reflections of the clouds in the sky. This was quiet a windy day and the sea was fairly rough. The pier is tall enough that it is quite possible to walk along the beach under it above the high tide line providing continuous access along the sand all the way from Sandbanks to Hengistbury Head, a distance of several miles.

Bournemouth Pier - Underneath - Bournemouth visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Bournemouth Pier - Underneath' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Dorset.

Bournemouth Pier is one of the most celebrated landmarks in Bournemouth. The first pier was built on Bournemouth Beach in 1856 and since then several incarnations of Bournemouth Pier have been built and swept away by storms. The current pier is over 300m long and made of concrete to support the weight of the theatre and amusements at the pier head. This panoramic image shows the underside of the pier.

On the shore end, the Pier Approach complex contains an amusement arcade and various types of slot machines. The Pier itself offers stunning views along the coast, all the way down past Boscombe Pier to Hengistbury Head and, on a clear day, to the Isle of Wight in the east,. To the west are numerous chines leading to Sandbanks Beach in Poole where the ferry crosses over to Studland and the Isle of Purbeck.

Since 1868 the pier has seen pleasure cruises set off taking visitors along the coast. The first steamer to do so was the 'Fawn'. Cruises and excursions around Bournemouth Bay still set off from the pier in summer months. Also in summer months there are regular firework displays set off from the pier, often attracting large crowds on the beach and numerous small boats that come from Poole Harbour to watch them.