120/365 Day trip to Bournemouth

What a gorgeous day it was yesterday, just the right sort of day for a trip to Bournemouth. However I think everyone else must have had the same idea, because the roads were surprisingly busy, we left home at 11am for what is usually a 90 minute journey, only to find delay after delay.
Our route from Devizes to the coast more or less follows the course of the River Avon, which starts at Bishops Cannings, just a mile from our house, flows down through Salisbury, Fordingbridge, Ringwood and Christchurch before reaching the sea. Between Ringwood and Christchurch is a small village called Avon, which I assume gives the river its name. By the time we made it to Avon it was just after 1pm and as we were gasping and hungry we stopped for lunch at this fabulous pub.



The meal was the best pub food we've eaten in a long while, and reasonably priced too. And we had a glass or two of the lovely Tanglefoot bitter.




It was after 2.30 by the time we made it to the beach at Boscombe, but as Oli didn't have to be at his new digs until 4pm there was plenty of time for a visit to the beach, an ice cream




a walk along the sand




and a paddle in the sea.



My travel companions preferred to stick to dry land (or should I say lagerland?).



We finally delivered Oli to his new digs for the next year, and reunited him with some of his housemates. I'll miss you, son, but I know you'll work hard and have fun.