Thursday, February 25, 2010

A Weekend at the Beach – England

I have just spent a fantastic weekend in and around Bournemouth in Dorset and feel compelled to tell you all about this fabulous part of the country.

Dorset is one of the most beautiful counties in England and well worth a visit for countryside lovers and beach bums alike. Bournemouth is a large seaside town located on the South Coast of England. For many years, the town has been seen as a hang out for OAP�s but now with its large student population who attend Bournemouth University and the Art College, the town is a refreshing mix of young and old.

Bournemouth  Beachfront

We stayed in one of the multitude of bed & breakfasts located in Boscombe, a small town east of Bournemouth. Our B&B, the Morwenna Hotel on Glen Road, comes highly recommended for it’s hospitality and was just a 5 minute walk from the beach and a stones throw from the town centre.

Bournemouth Academy/Opera House

On Friday night we went to the Opera House nightclub (formerly known as the Academy) to a promotion called Slinky. The venue still looks like the old Opera House, with bars around the balcony and grand steps down to the main dancefloor. After a night of jungle in the smaller of the two rooms and after a few too many red-bull and vodka�s, we were tucked up in our bed�s for some well-earned shuteye to recharge our batteries for a day on the beach.

The morning after the night before we were greeted by our good old English breakfast, a welcome cure to the inevitable hangover and then quickly headed down to the seafront to find our spot on the beach. In true Brit style we braved the icy waters and then sunned ourselves until lightly toasted before heading into Bournemouth for a bit of retail therapy.

Swanage  Aerial View

For a change of scenery we headed out to Swanage on Sunday morning. To save time, we avoided driving around Poole harbour by heading down to Sandbanks and catching the ferry. A short drive through the country and past Corfe Castle is Swanage, with it’s award winning beaches and small but perfectly formed town centre.

There are pubs and shops a plenty and activities for all the family, but the best fun can be had charging round the Old Harry Rocks on a jet-ski, water-skis or inflatable doughnuts, which can be hired near the beach huts. Hiring jet-skis is not cheap, so better still you

can do what we did and chat up some friendly locals and get them to take you out on theirs!

Accommodation in Swanage consists of everything from top hotels to camping sites, so there is something to suit every budget. For a great view of the bay and a friendly welcome, check out Priestway Camping Site at the top of the hill.

Swanage holds a place in my heart, as I’ve been going there since I was knee high to a grasshopper. It�s a pretty town, nestled in a stunning bay beneath the cliffs. On a clear day you can see along the coast to Bournemouth and out to sea the Isle of Wight! Grab some friends, pack some sunscreen and get down to the beach.

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