Now I've probably harped on about this a million times, but I couldn't be more proud of my county, Dorset (in Southern England). And Hampshire, too, holds fond childhood memories. Here I will give you five reasons why Dorset will always be my favourite place, my home-
1. The beaches- The Dorset coastline, or the Jurrassic Coast as it's known, as some of the best beaches in England. There's a reason tourists flock to places like Bournemouth or Sandbanks and Weymouth's soft sands are just the right mix if you're looking to try sand sculpture! There's also piers, fish and chips, ice cream boats- the best of british seaside!
2. The little hidden village gems- When I was younger, we used to visit family in a little village called Rotherwick in Hampshire. A lot of my older family grew up there. A peaceful place. There's also the abandoned Tyneham, the caves of Cheddar gorge (where there's also Cheese making and sweet shops) and panaromic views any budding photographer would love!
3. The pubs- I've always loved pubs- when I was younger it was a good place to get a cheap drink and meal, now I'm older it's a good place to get a drink and some good laughs, maybe even some kareoke!
If you want to get an insight into British culture, a pub is a good place to starts. Always ask around though- some pubs are better than others...
4. The old Dorset/ Hampshire words we once used and sometimes still use- First, there's the Dorset and Hampshire accents and certain words used or once used around these 'ere parts. I'll give you a few examples-
Hampshire-
Foisty (still used)- musty, damp
Cackleberries (not so much)- eggs (!) The reason for this is because cackles were what they used to call chickens and berries are fruit so it's pretty much fruit of the chicken.
Where's it to? (well, Nana still says it)- Where is it?
Dorset-
Be (still used sometimes)- You will hear this is sentances like 'where be this?'
Chipper (still used)- Cheerful- 'you're awfully chipper, aren't you?'
Grizzle guts- moaner, whinger- something I used to be called sometimes as a kid
To harp- go on about something
Heft- Lift
Spell- a rest from work (sit down for a spell)
Tally- to set off in a hurry (eg- 'tally ho!')
Tiddly- tiny (that's a tiddly piece of fish!)
Waarm and Zyder- Old ways of saying warm and cider
5. The festivals- Dorset, especially, is known for them. Some famous ones-
The Wimborne, Purbeck and Ferndown Folk Festivals ( or 'the Folkie')- Lots of music and dancing, the wimborne civil war re-enactment militia- with muskets!- food stalls, clothes stalls, jewellry stalls- it goes on!
The food festivals- One word- YUM!
PayeDay- Pirate Day! Poole is famous for it's smugglers and Pirates as a harbour town at one of the oldest ports in England. Everybody dresses up as Pirates! Fun! PayeDay is named after the privateer and smuggler Harry Paye-
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Pa… So that's what I love about Dorset and Hampshire. And while it may be quite random, I had to write about the place I love and hopefully, if you ever got the chance to visit, you'd see why I love it so!
All the best,
Bex x