Bournemouth 16th to 23th

Sunday 16th

Everyone arrived, unpacked and spent time getting to know one another. We enjoyed our takeaway meal of fish and chips. Then we chose to have a drink in the hotel bar.

Monday 17th

Ben chose to stay at the hotel for the day and said he enjoyed swimming. Richard also chose to relax at the hotel, enjoying the garden there. The rest of the group walked through the woodlands, then along the sea front and on to the pier. We sat at a small café by the beach and enjoyed hot chocolate. Chris said, “It was a nice day”. We had walked over 3 miles during the day, while in Bournemouth we ate our picnic lunch on the pier. Some went on the red arrow simulator ride and while we were at the beach, we met a lifeguard who was on duty. We then returned to the hotel for a little rest and ordered a Chinese Takeaway for our evening meal. We chose to have a drink in the hotel bar and the bar was nice and quiet.

Tuesday 18th

Today we visited ‘Liberty’s Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre’. We watched the live flight demonstration of the tawny owl and buzzard. Ben said his favourite part had been the owl and the large python. We enjoyed our picnic lunch while at the centre. There was a nice gift shop there and we all did some shopping. Once back at the hotel we took the time to relax for a little while before our evening meal. Tonight, we ordered an Italian takeaway meal followed by a couple of drinks in the hotel bar.

Wednesday 19th

We took a steam train from Norden to Swanage and along the journey we passed the impressive Corfe Castle. It was a bit of a wet day however it did not ruin our trip out. At Swanage we found a café for a bacon sandwich and sausage rolls. We also enjoyed an ice cream by the sea and bought some souvenirs from the shops. We then took the return train back to Norden station. In the evening we ordered an Indian takeaway meal for dinner which we enjoyed. We chose to have a drink in the bar at the hotel.

Thursday 20th

We drove to Poole Quay and sat in a café by the harbour where we enjoyed milkshake and some of us had cake. We then took a boat to Brownsea Island and while there we had our picnic lunch in the courtyard café. It was a beautiful sunny day and some of us chose to sit outside on the bow of the boat enjoying the views. When we arrived back at Poole Harbour a small group of us bought some souvenirs. The rest of the group relaxed watching the world go by. Later back at the hotel we had time to relax and then enjoy our takeaway delivery and then our usual drink in the hotel bar.

Friday 21st

Some of the group visited The Heavy Horse Centre with Jez. They saw shire horses, turkeys, and rabbits. We got to stroke the horses and went on a horse and carriage ride which was fun. The rest of the group visited Wimborne Model Town & Gardens, which was opened in 1951. The model town was a scale of one tenth size and had over 100 shop fronts within the display. There was a quiz with clues to find things, while walking around and an interactive model railway room. We enjoyed our picnic, snacks and drinks from the tearoom. In the evening we ordered a takeaway delivery and chose to go for a drink in the bar. Some of us watched the virtual Air Show on T.V. and enjoyed the Red Arrow display along with other flight demonstrations.

Saturday 22nd

Today some of the group chose to go out shopping in Bournemouth, it has a very good selection of large and small shops although some of the streets are a little steep. Everyone else visited The Bournemouth Aviation Museum. There were many interactive exhibits and we could climb into the cockpits. We saw many aircrafts from the famous English Electric lightning to the mighty Westland Wessex helicopter. There was an opportunity to buy gifts in the shop. For our meal at the end of the first week we went out together to Key West Bar & Grill, situated at the end of the pier. We all had a fun evening.