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Author recreates picturesque Dorset holidays after 60 years away

AFTER 60 years away, a man has recreated his childhood holidays to Purbeck. 

As a child, Malcolm Harris, from Gloucestershire, often visited Dorset with his family.

And this year, to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary with wife Denise, planned a holiday homecoming to the Jurassic Coast. 

Malcolm, who now lives in Sheffield, said: “We decided that it would be nice to visit Dorset as we both enjoy being by the sea and having plenty to do.

“The weather was reasonably kind to us and we had a fabulous time.”

Photo: Malcolm Harris.

Photo: Malcolm Harris.

They visited Durdle Door, Corfe Castle and Monkey World; took a chain ferry from Studland to Poole Harbour; and watched a sailing regatta from the Swanage Pier. 

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When he returned to Yorkshire, Malcolm found himself looking through old photographs of his childhood trips. 

He posted them in a Swanage-based Facebook group asking for help to identify the specific location. 

Malcolm on a family holiday to Swanage, c.1960. Photo: Malcolm Harris.

Malcolm on a family holiday to Swanage, c.1960. Photo: Malcolm Harris.

“I doubted whether anyone would be able to help given the time that had elapsed and the changes that had undoubtedly occurred,” he said.

“But I was wrong. Several people suggested that one of them had been taken on the main Swanage beach in front of the huts, confirming my suspicions.”

Picturesque Dorset has left a lasting impression on Malcolm, who’s using several photos of the county as the basis of an annual calendar he produces for family members.

He added: “It’s wonderful to think that I was able to return to the location of my childhood vacations and to enjoy our celebratory holiday.”

Malcolm’s memoirs, A Mere Mortal, are available on Amazon. 

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