11 October, 2006

Bournemouth, Dorset, UK


The pier houses amusements and a theatre

What a surprise! Bournemouth turned out to be warm and sunny all weekend. It’s full of leafy avenues lined with tall pine trees which allow dappled sunlight on to the streets below and good quality hotels staffed by enthusiastic young people from various European countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Spain. The houses are mainly Edwardian and make creative use of red brick as a building material. It’s a classy seaside resort with the minimum necessary amount of the usual blights of the English coast-line such as ice-cream parlours and tea-rooms. The demographic profile of England’s south coast always used to be that of a disproportionately aged community, full of retirement homes, convalescent homes, residential nursing homes and sedate, expensive hotels. But that has changed considerably in recent years and, in Bournemouth at least, there is a university, an Art college and lots of language schools which attract thousands of young foreign students. Consequently there is a thriving night-life with lots of restaurants, bars and entertainment.

These tiny beach huts, facing the sea, fetch a premium price and there is a long waiting list to obtain them. The road in front of them is free of all traffic.

14 Comments:

Blogger slaghammer said...

Beautiful scenery. What exactly do you do in those little huts? Are they bigger than they appear to be?

Wednesday, October 11, 2006  
Blogger Lizza said...

Welcome back! Good to hear you had good weather in Dorset. Beautiful view of the water, and the cottages are so colorful.

Thursday, October 12, 2006  
Blogger Bazza said...

slaghammer: This is England, my friend. You make tea.
They are big enough to house a small table, two or three chairs and a small calor gas stove. It is not permitted to sleep in them overnight but I am sure people do.

lizza: It was a lovely family occasion and the good weather was a real bonus. Bournemouth is, offically, the best resort in Britain.

Thursday, October 12, 2006  
Blogger Jim said...

Wonderful seaside, I would love to visit and stay awhile, is the water cold, well I guess so! Beautiful pics Bazza, the hut pic is a real work of art. Dorset, I will have to remember that, use it in some local conversations, it sounds so smashing!

Thursday, October 12, 2006  
Blogger Alicia M B Ballard StudioGaleria said...

You must have had a delightful weekend!
Love the colorful huts/mini-chalets.
I have fallen in love with England a few years back don't quiet know how it began... perhaps with the gardens.

We still build homes and most buildings with wood, cardboard and paper, with some fiberfill in between, in order for them to be easier to tear down in thirty years from the date and build new... :).
We "must" keep the lumber industry viable, mhm.
Our "reality"
I somehow yearn for yours...

love and joy to you and yours

Friday, October 13, 2006  
Blogger Bazza said...

jim: Is the water cold? Do you think I'm mad? I just looked at it! But I must say it did look good and I love the sound of the ocean. There were a lot of jet-skiers and surfers (in wet suits).

"angeldust": We build with brick because we don't have so much timber available as you do in North America, especially British Columbia. Many parts of the world are beautiful and sometimes there are fascinating places on our own doorsteps but we don't always 'see' them.

Friday, October 13, 2006  
Blogger Bob said...

I grew up near Bournemouth and as a teenager used to go to discos and the ice rink to meet girls.

Many is the time I made a bit of a fool of myself.

I'm glad you enjoyed Bournemouth.
I vaguely remember the poet John Betjeman wrote something about Bournemouth....describing her as an old lady I think.

Friday, October 13, 2006  
Blogger Jim said...

Hilarious Bazza, I agree, look and listen, LOL! Beautiful sensations all by themselves, don't ever be a Polar Bear!

Friday, October 13, 2006  
Blogger Deepak Gopi said...

Hello Sir;
It appears that you had an excellent trip.
enjoy a nice weekend.

Saturday, October 14, 2006  
Blogger abcd said...

wonderful scene. when is the best time to visit Bournemouth? enjoy reading your blog, I will be back soon.

Saturday, October 14, 2006  
Blogger High Power Rocketry said...

What fun little houses!

Saturday, October 14, 2006  
Blogger Bazza said...

rob: My wife was born and raised in Bournemouth and she would move back there at the drop of a hat but our roots are now elsewhere. There are parts around there where one would think, weather permitting, that one were in the south of France. Betjeman was right at the time; now the old lady has hitched her skirt a little higher!

jim: There are times when a fur coat would be the best thing to own when that Atlantic breeze gets going.

deepak: Thanks, as ever, for your kind thoughts and I hope you enjoy the upcoming festival of Diwali.

pink ginger: Hi, thanks for looking in. Personally I prefer spring or autumn. Bournemouth is packed out and expensive in the summer season.

alex: Fun is strictly forbidden in those beach chalets!

Saturday, October 14, 2006  
Blogger Mimi Lenox said...

No fun in the beach chalets? They remind me of munchkin houses in The Wizard of Oz but with more class. Ha!
Going to your next post. I'm in a Dorset kind of mood now. Wonderful post, as always.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006  
Blogger bazza said...

My new blog, To Discover Ice, is at: http://todiscoverice.blogspot.com/ See you there!
Bazza

Thursday, August 12, 2010  

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