Bournemouth, Dorset (a classic seaside resort)

Bournemouth is a south coast holiday holiday resort, known for its wide sandy beaches and pretty beach huts. Alas the town is one of the few seaside resorts that still offers donkey rides for children. Unlike abroad, donkeys here are inspected for welfare, but most parents now are choosing to move on from donkey rides.

If out walking, always follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. If at the coast, read about how to keep dogs safe by the seaside. 

Bournemouth like many seaside towns, has a big problem with homelessness. Local shops can help by purchasing BillyChip, that people can buy and give to local people, to pay for a hot drink and food (and pet food), without giving cash. Also read how to help dogs of homeless people.

Other towns in Dorset are:

• Christchurch is just next door, but much quieter with riverside paths.
• Poole is known for its harbour and offers sunset strolls by the quay.
• Weymouth is another classic seaside resort with a sandy beach.
• Bridport has independent shops, galleries, and a weekly market.

Brownsea is a charming little island near Poole, home to wildflowers and seabirds. Due to offering the right kind of trees, it’s home to many endangered red squirrels (good habitat is needed, not culling greys).

Sandbanks (an expensive nearby suburb)suburb)

Sandbanks is the fourth most expensive place to live in the world (John Lennon bought a bungalow here for his Aunt Mimi in 1965). It used to be wild sand dunes, before turning into a mecca for shorefront homes.

There have been recent problems after a wooden fence was put up, which blocks off parts of the sandy beaches that run from some of the homes ‘back gardens’. Locals are saying ‘nobody owns the sand’ as they are having to walk different routes, sometimes with their dogs.

Back in Sandbanks, one resident (almost 80 years old) was walking her dog at night near the sand, then the security lights went on, CCTV started to film her, and a voice boomed out telling her to ‘go away’.

The cheapest home on Right Move at Sandbanks is a 2-bedroom flat for £425,000. The most expensive property was almost £6 million (5 bedrooms and bathrooms, a pool, sauna, lawn and guest suite).

American writer Zoe Strimpel is mystified by the high prices in Sandbanks:

Sandbanks has none of what I would look for in a seaside home: no wildness, no seclusion, no sense of exposure to the full roar of the elements. Its naturalness has been manicured out of it, in  accordance with the architectural and landscaping tastes of the football and entertainment elite .