Martina Gardeva (Bulgaria)

My name is Martina Gardeva and I am a Bulgarian postgraduate studying MSc Tourism Management and Marketing. Even though the UK is famous for its bad weather full of rainy and muggy days, let me assure you here in Bournemouth this is not the case! This cute little town has plenty of sun and warm days to keep your spirits up during the whole year.

The unpredictable Autumn

I came to Bournemouth in September 2017. During my first Autumn here I think I saw everything from warm and sunny days of up to 20 ° C to chilly and windy periods of about 7-8 °C. Generally, September and October were quite nice, and I really enjoyed walking around the Bournemouth gardens, spending some afternoons on the beach and trying out the zip wire, that runs from the pier to the shore. In November, however, it got colder and wetter, and my umbrella and windproof jacket became my best friends.

The rainy snowy winter

In December, I remember it got quite cold and you will definitely need your winter jacket, warm jumpers and comfy boots when you go out at this time of the year. It was still good, though. This is when the Christmas markets are open and you can enjoy a mug of hot chocolate or a tasty waffle. You can also go ice skating in the park or go on a day trip to London, to marvel at the stunning Christmas decorations. In January and February, it was raining almost everyday. It was also quite windy and chilly.

The mighty Beast from the East

In March it snowed a lot! The Snowstorm was also known as the Beast from the East. For a Bulgarian like myself, who is used to cold winters and lots of snow, all the fuss was extremely funny. Empty supermarkets, frosty palm trees, a frozen beach, hardly any cars or buses on the street.  Nevertheless, most of us went out to experience temperatures as low as -8°C.  It was the first proper snowfall seen in Bournemouth for decades.

The late Spring

March and April turned out to be quite chilly, contrary to what everybody was hoping for. The temperatures were about 15° C, sometimes even less, and there was still a lot of rain and clouds. Nevertheless, we had a 3-week Spring Break during the Easter holidays and I got the chance to go home which was the best part of the season for me.

The sunny and hot summer

May arrived and the days became longer, sunnier and warmer. The first time I went to the beach was at the beginning of that month around the bank holiday weekend, when the town was full of tourists and the beach was visited by more than 200,000 people. In June and July we had a long heatwave with temperatures over 25°C, which was the ideal weather to just spend your days relaxing on the beach, enjoying life to the full.

As you can see Bournemouth’s weather is not bad at all, so don’t worry about it and just enjoy your stay here!

Martina Gardeva, Bulgaria, MSc Tourism Management and Marketing, 2017/18