On Sunday, my Dad and I drove down to Dorset to the visit my sister and her boyfriend. The journey along the A31 and A338 was a familiar one, having spent three formative years in Bournemouth training for a career that - little did I know - would stop short at an unpaid internship. Although where I departed these sandy shores for promise of a new life in the big city, my sister remained, and has since become the envy of my family with her summer snaps from the golden coastline and crisp afternoon walks in the New Forest. It was a pleasure to savour even a few hours of a life I hadn't realised I had missed.
Leanne and Jonny treated us to brunch at Coast, uniquely combining an independent café with surf, skate and moto shop in a celebration of beach culture. The contemporary frontage is inviting; woven lanterns linger above outdoor seating screened by bamboo, leading then into a naturally lit café space with timber décor and an olive green feature wall draped with the tendrils of invading plants. A classic motorbike pitched beside a row of sleek surfboards casts little doubt to the true passion behind the business.
As we await our choices from the locally sourced menu (mine a smoked salmon scotch egg with roasted beetroot, salad and wasabi mayonnaise), I escape my family for several minutes to explore the room beyond the café. Another motorcycle is stood proudly before me, and to the right, shelves of surf and biking books, a rail of light and summery garments, and a vintage pool table decked with beauty and home accessories to complement one's coastal lifestyle. At the very rear of the store is a workshop for all of your board and bike requirements.
After finishing up our brunch and fruit smoothies, we returned to Leanne's flat ahead of our stroll to the beach. Yet, as we passed a scene of paddleboarders and windsurfers metres from the shore, I had to wonder, having lived beside the sea for three years, why I hadn't embraced beach culture like my sister and so many others here. Perhaps if I had been a tad more adventurous, I might be eyeing up those surfboards in Coast with a yearning for the sea, as opposed to wondering how best I frame them for my camera.
Coast may be found at 91 Salterns Road, Poole, BH14 8BL.
Leanne and Jonny treated us to brunch at Coast, uniquely combining an independent café with surf, skate and moto shop in a celebration of beach culture. The contemporary frontage is inviting; woven lanterns linger above outdoor seating screened by bamboo, leading then into a naturally lit café space with timber décor and an olive green feature wall draped with the tendrils of invading plants. A classic motorbike pitched beside a row of sleek surfboards casts little doubt to the true passion behind the business.
As we await our choices from the locally sourced menu (mine a smoked salmon scotch egg with roasted beetroot, salad and wasabi mayonnaise), I escape my family for several minutes to explore the room beyond the café. Another motorcycle is stood proudly before me, and to the right, shelves of surf and biking books, a rail of light and summery garments, and a vintage pool table decked with beauty and home accessories to complement one's coastal lifestyle. At the very rear of the store is a workshop for all of your board and bike requirements.
After finishing up our brunch and fruit smoothies, we returned to Leanne's flat ahead of our stroll to the beach. Yet, as we passed a scene of paddleboarders and windsurfers metres from the shore, I had to wonder, having lived beside the sea for three years, why I hadn't embraced beach culture like my sister and so many others here. Perhaps if I had been a tad more adventurous, I might be eyeing up those surfboards in Coast with a yearning for the sea, as opposed to wondering how best I frame them for my camera.
Coast may be found at 91 Salterns Road, Poole, BH14 8BL.
