I’m now moving on from my music series and I’m going to revisit some of my favourite holiday destinations. The first in the series is somewhere I fell in love with at the age of four – Bournemouth:
Bournemouth in Dorset has always been my favourite seaside town. When I was growing up, Mum and Dad didn’t have much money, but they’d saved enough for a few days in Bournemouth. I was four years old at the time. I don’t actually remember much about the trip, apart from being devastated when we had to leave. Mum said I fell in love with the place and insisted on waving goodbye to the sea when it was time to go. So I grew up believing Bournemouth was a wondrous place.
Forty years on, my partner and I returned for a week’s break. I was nervous, wondering if I’d be able to capture that delight I’d felt as a child. I needn’t have worried. We had a fantastic time. It helped that the British weather had decided to bestow us with blistering temperatures and plenty of sun. But it was Bournemouth, and its vicinity, that captivated me, making me feel like a child again.
We stayed in a beautiful Victorian apartment, a short drive away from the sea. As the weather was so glorious, we spent a couple of days at the beach. We had the best of both worlds –a day on Bournemouth beach, which was busy, where we soaked up the atmosphere and shared our sandwiches with the cheeky and noisy seagulls, and a day at Southbourne, a few miles away. It was so deserted, we felt as if we had our own private beach!
Bournemouth and its neighbour, Boscombe, are always busy, alive with chatter, music and other lively sounds. But as we stepped into Boscombe Chine Gardens, all the noise and busyness faded away. A sense of peace and tranquillity spread through us as we meandered along the paths, delighting in the squirrels scurrying up and down the trees and the vibrant colours of the pretty shrubs.
One morning, we made the short trip to Poole Quay and took the ferry to Brownsea Island. Owned by the National Trust, it’s a feast for the eyes, from its mock Tudor entrance, to the many peacocks strutting around, to the magnificent views of the sun sparkling on the shimmering waters and boats bobbing up and down, seen from the island’s highest point.
View from Brownsea Island
Another day and another boat ride, we visited Hurst Castle, an artillery fortress built by Henry VIII. As we walked around the castle, we felt goosebumps and a sense of awe at being taken back in time. English Heritage are currently carrying out major conservation work, but that doesn’t take away from its presence and wonder.
Hurst Castle
Before we knew it, it was time to return home – but not before waving goodbye to the sea.
Southbourne Beach
Esther Chilton 
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