Holidays at home can be better than going abroad – Opinion

Taking your summer holiday in the UK?What are the benefits? No hassles with flying, no language barrier issues and manageable heat!Welcome to Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck.
Durdle Door is a great holiday destination.Durdle Door is a great holiday destination.
Durdle Door is a great holiday destination.

Not too far from home, in fact; we can still see the Isle of Wight from the beach.

It does feel like we’ve actually come away on holiday. The town is beautiful and the beach is gorgeous. Is this the perfect combination for the perfect summer holiday?

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I’ve driven to the Costa Blanca before, involving an overnight ferry, an all-day drive, hotel and then another day of driving. After another 1,200 miles, I arrive at my destination knowing I have to do it all again.

I needed another holiday after that!

One and a half hours later and we arrive in our log cabin.

We are in the middle of fields, with the town in the distance and the sound of steam trains nearby. How idyllic.

We have a hot tub, we have an enclosed garden area and, for the first time, our dog Ruby has come away with us.

So far, we’ve been on the steam train, walked around Corfe Castle (it was too expensive for us all to go in) and we’ve had a wonderful day on the beach.

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Still to come, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, a dinosaur museum, Camp Bestival and an open top bus ride across the Jurassic Coast.

It does feel like being abroad sometimes though.

It’s been very hot here, like being in the south of France. We’ve spent every evening outside.

The only difference is the people, not too familiar with a lot of sun.

As we find a place to set up on the beach, we notice plenty of people giving a freshly cooked lobster a run for it’s money.

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As for the language barrier, we met a lovely French family on the beach, gave directions to a German family and our neighbours are Dutch.

The only language barrier I’ve noticed so far has been with Brenda, the checkout lady at the local Co-op in the centre of town.

I have no idea what she’s saying!

Playground politics is so fascinating to be a part of…

Freddie’s first year at school has come to an end. Time flies as he approaches Year 1 but it’s also been a massive learning curve for us too, his parents.

We’ve never experienced playground politics before. It’s been fascinating picking Freddie up from school as all parents wait in the playground. Some know each other already, others stand at the back, looking at their phones not wishing to be part of any ‘clubs’, whilst others strike up conversations and make new friends.

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These groups may involve play dates, party invites and, of course, grown ups’ visits to the pub! Exchanging experiences, advice and help is all part of the parent process and it’s been so positive to us so far.

I think Fred Dinenage is one of the best news presenters

I don’t normally see the Meridian TV news anymore, thanks to bath and bedtime for the kids and myself.

Being on holiday, though, I caught the late local news this week which was hosted by Fred Dinenage. My first thought was how could Meridian make this 77-yearold legend read news way past 10.30pm – it’s far too late.

My second thought was, how does Fred keep going? I wonder if I’ll still be doing breakfast radio when I’m 77? As the bulletin progressed, it soon became apparent how accomplished he still is and was rolling back the years.

We’ve seen many news presenters on ITV Meridian and BBC South come and go, but Fred’s effortless style proves he is still the best.

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