“Don’t tell me it’s not worth fighting for” – Bryan Adams. Tears drained naturally from my eyes when I heard this Bryan Adams song being sung in a bar I once worked in – 21 years later, in a hotel I once stayed in – 31 years earlier. The Heathlands Hotel in East Cliff, Bournemouth,…
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“Everyone’s changing; I stay the same” – The Corrs (2004). Sentimental journeys are no stranger to my wandering heart or backpack. Neil Finn said it long before I rode my weary soul onto the streets of Bournemouth Town in 1994…my first trip to the iconic seaside town…10 years later I’d be working in a bar…
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“What you leave behind, you don’t miss anyway” – Paul Hewson. Friday 26th September 2003. That’s twenty years ago today. Madness. This was the day when life unknowingly all changed for me. It did for me and it could for you too and you will never expect that. I certainly wasn’t ready for a new…
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With the English Premier League finally due to restart this month, I have been featured on the official AFC Bournemouth website telling my story of following the Cherries. You can read the article here – Ulster Cherry’s AFC Bournemouth story.
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I often dwell on my days spent on England’s South Coast. It’s a beautiful part of the world and having spent 6 years in Bournemouth and Poole, it’s a place I get sentimental about. I return these days on average about once a year, normally to coincide it with a trip to Dean Court to…
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“You’ve been stealing from the thieves, and you got caught” – Paul Hewson. Life since I left my hometown in 2003 (15 Wacaday years now) hasn’t always been completely travel travel travel. In fact there were two occasions when I owned a car (2000 – 2009, and again for 7 months of 2010) and a…
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“Bring a smile. It’s a winner.” – Ron Hands, 2016. If nothing on this site ever inspires you, perhaps this one can. It was a joy, privilege, and honour to meet up with, interview and sink beer with Ron Hands. Ron is an 83 year old blogger and can tell a story or too. Ron…
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In my ongoing series detailing all the jobs I have done, I’m slowly getting through the back catalogue. I have done quite a few volunteer jobs down the years and haven’t got round to writing about them all. They are a great way to meet people, help others, improve yourself socially and mentally and you…
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You might have read some of my previous articles on Bournemouth, Poole and Hampshire on here. This part of England’s South Coast has a lot to offer the everyday tourist and long term nostalgic culture struck backpacker. This short article is all about Westbourne and Alum Chine. These are two districts in the west part of…
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This edition in my world borders series is slightly long overdue. The reason being I have been on this route more times than I can remember. It was back in 2008 – 2009 that I worked on car ferries in the south of England. I was based in Lymington, Poole and Weymouth. But most of…
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