Bowl Central Bournemouth

The giant bowling pin on the seafront at Bournemouth is one of those things you spot from the road and think, 'That's either brilliant or daft.' Turns out it's both. Bowl Central is an actual bowling alley, not just a sculpture, and the enormous pin that marks it has become a proper landmark for the area - the kind of thing locals give directions from ("Turn left at the big pin"). It's a working venue, so you rock up, pay your way in, grab some shoes that smell like they've seen better decades, and bowl. Standard ten-pin setup, nothing fancy, but that's rather the point. It's a functional, cheerful spot that's been going for years and clearly doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is. The pin itself makes for good photos if you're the type who documents a holiday with snaps of oddities. Kids find it mildly amusing, bowlers find it useful, and everyone else finds it quirky enough to justify a quick stop. It's no five-pin bowling palace, but it works for a rainy afternoon when you're based at Meadowbank Holidays or Sandhills, both within easy reach of Christchurch. Not worth planning a day around, but if you're already in the area and someone mentions "that place with the massive bowling pin", now you'll know exactly what they mean.