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Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the county of Dorset. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset and also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth.

Bournemouth's location on the south coast of England has made it a popular destination for tourists especially with 7 miles of sandy beaches. It is also host to a university so the combination of the two means there’s plenty of places to go to for food and drink.

Having the beach gives the opportunity to try out most watersports and has a thriving watersports community. If you’d rather keep two feet on dry land however there are plenty of other sports to sink your teeth into and the town’s football club currently play in League One.

If you fancy something a little different Bournemouth has the Central Gardens a public park, that leads for several miles down the valley of the River Bourne, through the centre of the town to the sea (reaching the sea at Bournemouth Pier) and includes the Pleasure Gardens. There is also the New Forest, newest National Park around a 30 minute drive away. There are many pretty towns and villages to discover and the beautiful open spaces, forest glades and tranquil walks remain largely unchanged from the days when William the Conqueror used it as his Royal Playground from 1079.

The town is a regional centre of business, home of the Bournemouth International Centre which attracts some of the biggest names in comedy and music alike.

Bournemouth also has good network links with 2 train stations and is less than a two hour train ride to London. Trains also provide links up to the North.