Redhill Park Café

The paddling pool here is basically a Bournemouth summer rite of passage if you’ve got little ones under eight — parents set up camp at the café tables while the kids splash about for hours. Staff are genuinely lovely, the kind who actually remember your order and don’t mind sticky fingers on everything. It draws a proper mix of local families rather than the beach crowd, which gives it a relaxed, neighbourhood feel you don’t always find in parks. Toys and activities dotted around mean it works just as well on days when the pool’s not running.