Schools half term is over so off we go!
Not too far this time, in fact, just around the corner to Poole. We rarely go to Poole and the Purbecks so this seemed an ideal opportunity to get down there, especially as the bus stopped at the site gates. We had the choice of the X53 to Poole or Weymouth and Exeter or the ‘40 Breezer’ to Swanage or Poole.
We stayed at an excellent site which has superb reviews. At this time of year it is very well priced. It can be found in the Best of British brochure (or online).
| The entrance | To the bus |
| Stuart on the Twin Sails bridge, opened in March 2012 | View from the bridge towards the RNLI HQ |
We have not seen the bridge in the ‘open’ position, but if you look for photos on the internet it looks very impressive.
Sunseeker, the boat builder had these motor yachts for sale – we couldn’t decide on which one to have – so have left it until another day. Maybe one of the new apartments at Poole Quay would be better?
A trip to Swanage was rewarded with these less than flattering photos.
Much of the stone for London’s buildings and monuments came from this area and was shipped from Swanage to London. The ships had to come back in ‘ballast’ so some of London’s unwanted items were brought to Swanage and used around the town.
| Post from St. Giles and Bloomsbury | Portland stone Ionic columns – it is not known which London building they came from. |
Sir John Bankes (castle owner) was Lord Chief Justice to King Charles I. When civil war broke out it was left to Lady Bankes to defend the castle in 1643 and 1645 through two sieges. She was finally overcome by the treachery of one of her own officers, Colonel Pitman. Following an Act of Parliament, the Castle was then blown up from the inside by engineers.
Instead of the bus we took the car to Studland and parked by the Bankes Arms where we started our walk to Old Harry Rocks. About 2 miles altogether. On the return leg the Marines/SBS (not sure which) were jumping out of a Hercules into Studland Bay and were then picked up by inflatable boat. They only jumped in threes so it took a couple of hours in total.
| Old Harry Rocks | Sue on Godlingston Heath |
Stuart by Agglestone Rock on Godlingston Heath – the rock fell over a few years ago. I’m holding my GPS so I can claim this as an Earthcache. Sue was very pleased with herself because we covered just over 5 miles walking that day.
We finished off our week by visiting Rockley Park, just north of Poole. This area would be inundated with people in the summer, but as you can see there is hardly anyone around. If you think we had good weather whilst away you would be right. We had sunshine most days and frequently we could sit out to have our coffee and teas. However, we did wear wellies for our walks as it was usually very wet underfoot.
Oldie Photo – Stuart in Yugoslavia 1983 – not changed much?
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