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As wonderful as the Jurassic Coast is, my favourite beach in Dorset has always been Hengistbury Head, near Bournemouth. Less popular with sunbathers, probably due to the pebble beach, it's loved by dogwalkers and anyone wanting to breathe in the sea air.
We like to walk along the beach towards the Isle of Wight and skirt round the Head to Mudeford Spit, with its pretty beach huts. Rarely up for sale, they can exchange hands for silly sums of money, but with lovely views of Christchurch harbour it's easy to see why they are so popular.
Continuing the circular walk along side the Site of Special Scientific Interest twitchers may be rewarded with sightings of some of over 300 species of bird. I've also seen adder, natterjack toads and the land's diversity within such a small area is quite amazing - woodland, heathland, coast, saltmarsh, scrub, ponds and watermeadows.
As I've been visiting since childhood, I remember when the Beach House Bistro was just a cafe and though many will probably love it's more contemporary design, I now prefer to wait until the end of the walk when I return to the car park and reward myself with coffee or bit to eat at the Hiker Cafe.
I utterly concur! One of my favourite things in the world is to park at Hengistbury Head car park (and make sure I'm wrapped up against the wind), maybe stop off at the Hiker for a stilton & mushroom jacket spud, then walk to the beach huts, listening out for the 'wobble - wobble' call of the egrets along the way. The sight of the muted candy coloured huts is always such a joy and I always find myself thinking ..'when I win the lottery....'
ReplyDeleteWhen you win the lottery, what will you do? Buy the cafe? A hut? Or the entire Head! I love those huts too.
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