Bournemouth and Brownsea Island

Previously, we intended to go to Isle of Wight in this weekend. But the plan was changed and today we headed towards Bournemouth which is a nearer place. Late summer saw the crowd of locals and visitors walking in the shopping centre and sea front of Dorset’s coastal resort town. As I expected, its town centre was not too much different from the counterparts of other English towns. There were usual shops and stores. I popped in to Borders book shop to buy Jamie Oliver’s Italian cook book as my colleague recommended. The interesting thing was that there were only pop, rock and some classic CDs on the music shelves. No R&B and Rap songs for some reason. Perhaps, it needs some more time to get updated to a world class cosmopolitan place.

It was within a walking distance from town to the sea front. After passing through a park, where there was a huge balloon, raising visitors 500 feet into the air to view the English Channel and Dorset countryside, we saw a rather small pier. Cloudy sky was not a perfect weather for beach lovers. But there were a few people swimming. Some were enjoying with surfing boards.





Brownsea island is the largest of the islands in Poole harbour with 500 acres. With £10.50 per head boat tickets, we had an opportunity to lean Bournemouth’s long sand beach and cliffs on our way to the island. Other boats and yachts were also around with different directions.



Now the island is under the control of the National Trust although it was private island in the past . It is naturally beautiful.



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The National Trust website said:

Peaceful island of woodland, wetland and heath with a rich diversity of wildlife

• Fine walks and spectacular views of Poole Harbour
• Home to the endangered red squirrel
• Famous for being the birthplace for Scouting and Guiding
• A haven for wildlife, including Sika deer and wading birds
• Trails and Tracker Packs for young smugglers and explorers
• Escape the noise and stress of modern life and discover nature in this unspoilt setting

I believe it is worth visiting there at last one time.

If you want to see the full set of photos, click here

Thank you