Bournemouth and the Jurrasic Coast

Sometimes I forget that I live on an island.  After all, it's not tropical, or sunny like most of the other islands I've visited.  It does, however, have some rather nice beaches, which we discovered on a trip to Bournemouth and the Jurassic Coast.

Beach shacks in Bournemouth

This was one of our first road trips in the UK and in my frenzy of packing everything we could possibly need into our car I somehow forgot the camera.  So you'll have to settle for these photos from my (very old and outdated) iPhone (which, now has been replaced with the new Siri equipped model, thank you very much).

Bournemouth is an easy 2 hour drive from London and a lovely little spot to spend the weekend.  We stayed at the Cremona hotel which a quaint family run bed and breakfast.  They have a "family room" with a double and 2 singles plus room for the baby cot- perfect!  Or at least I thought so (my travel savvy kids were less than thrilled with the shared accommodation).

In Bournemouth we visited the local aquarium which the kids loved, spent all our gold coins on amusement rides, and ate fish and chips while being entertained with balloon animals and magic tricks at Harry Ramsdens.

Creative solution for what to do with all those historic church buildings:  Turn them into nightclubs!

But the highlight of Bournemouth was the beach.  Since leaving Australia we have all been starved for the beach.  (You would be too if you used to live here).   It was too cold for swimming but we got out the buckets and spades.  And my little beach babies has a wonderful time.

The next day we visited Monkeyworld which featured the most amazing adventure playground I've ever seen.  The kids exclaimed that they actually felt like monkeys climbing around in there.  What fun!

 

On our last day we drove out to Charmouth on the Jurassic Coast to do some fossil hunting.  The wind was bitterly cold but we were determined.  We hired some pick axes and set to work.  Luckily, a ranger happened by and gave us a quick lesson on what to look for.  Without him we'd still be there chipping away because there was no way we were leaving that beach without fossils!  I have to admit, it was pretty thrilling to actually find some.

We drove on to the picturesque town of Lyme Regis and enjoyed lunch at Cafe Sol.  This little town was absolutely beautiful.  Tiny winding little streets, colourful shops, gorgeous views.  The perfect spot to end our trip.

Photo from TripAdvisor

There are just so many amazing places to explore in England.  

What should be next on our list?