After the excitement of December 25 – parties, presents, carols, turkey, twinkling lights and all – the days between Christmas and New Year can be a bit of an anti-climax. That’s why my mum came up with the tradition of treating us all to a family lunch at a favourite restaurant on Boxing Day or the day after. We went to Summer Lodge in the pretty Dorset village of Evershot for ...keep reading
Canford Cliffs was in the news this week – and not in a good way. The posh Poole enclave hit the headlines after locals complained of being kept awake by partygoers who hold stag and hen nights at multi-million pound houses in Canford Cliffs and Sandbanks, complete with booming music, copious vodka and naked butlers. I drive through Canford Cliffs several times a week on my way to London and ...keep reading
The road from Sandbanks Ferry winds its way along the edge of Poole Harbour, past scores of palatial-looking houses. I drive along Panorama Road a lot and it always makes me think of John Lennon’s beloved Aunt Mimi. She lived in a bungalow called Harbour’s Edge that her famous nephew bought for her in 1965. Lennon often visited with his first wife Cynthia and their son Julian and much to Mimi’s annoyance ...keep reading
Sandbanks in Dorset is famous for its eye-wateringly high house prices. A narrow peninsula jutting into Poole Harbour, it boasts golden sands, vast mansions, stunning views across Poole Bay to the Purbeck Hills and a plethora of luxury yachts sailing by. A chain ferry clanks across the harbour mouth to Studland all day long, so within a few minutes you can be strolling along glorious Shell Bay, one of the ...keep reading