We didn’t go far but it seemed like a world apart, traveling from an isolated corner of Dorset into its most populous area. That led us to Bournemouth (map), a coastal town along the English Channel. There are so many ancient places in the United Kingdom but this is not one of them. It dates to a relatively recent 1810 when a beach resort sprouted there, grew in popularity during the Victorian Era and remains a popular holiday destination into the present.
Originally we wanted to stay near Bournemouth the entire week but our plans fell through. Nonetheless, there were still plenty of things I wanted to see there. So it became a day trip, something relatively close to our temporary home that wouldn’t require a lot of thought or effort.
Sandbanks Ferry
It could take as much as an hour to drive between Swanage and Bournemouth on A351, the primary road leaving the Isle of Purbeck. That meant inefficiently looping all the way around Poole Harbour in a horseshoe-shaped pattern. However, there was another option: the Sandbanks Ferry across the mouth of Poole Harbour (map), creating more of a straight line path. Well, I happen to love ferries so that made it an obvious choice, plus we might save some time.
The ferry crosses three times per hour in both directions during the summer, taking about 50 cars at a time. It’s not a huge ship and backups happen during popular times. I enjoy ferries but I don’t enjoy lines so we got there relatively early in the morning. We were one of about five vehicles and we arrived right at sailing time, so it took only a few minutes to get across.
Actually I planned to arrive between sailings so I could take some photos of the ship approaching. However, a much larger ferry heading to France left the harbour at the same time and delayed our little chain ferry just enough for us to catch up. So in one sense I saved a few minutes but in another sense the photo I posted above was the best I could do.
Beach
Of course the big draw for Bournemouth is seven miles of beautiful sandy beach. We arrived early enough to beat the crowds. It looked rather empty but it soon filled with sunbathers and swimmers as the day warmed. Many of them rented beach huts for the season so they could spend the whole day lounging. I’m not much of a beach person so we didn’t spend a lot of time slowly toasting on the sand. We had places to go!
Oceanarium
The older kid in our family graduated recently with a couple of different university degrees including one in Zoology. So that put Bournemouth’s Oceanarium near the pier (map) on our list. I’m not sure how an oceanarium differs from an aquarium but they’re both aquatic zoos in a sense, and of course that was close enough. The facility included all sorts of fish plus Humboldt penguins, Loggerhead turtles, small-clawed otters and various other critters.
West Cliff Lift
Then we wandered down to the West Cliff Lift funicular (map). It’s not that long — just 145 feet (44 metres) — so I’m not entirely sure why Bournemouth needs one. It’s not nearly as long as the lift I rode in Pittsburgh a few years ago. Paradoxically, there were walkways available just a short distance away on either side of the lift. The structure’s seeming redundancy made it even more attractive to me. I had to ride it. Another couple had the same idea but they didn’t even bother disembarking at the top; they simply remained aboard and rode it straight back down again.
To be fair, I suppose it does serve some people, especially for those with mobility issues. It’s also cheap entertainment, and of course, the views are spectacular from the top of the cliff. I guess that’s why it’s survived since 1908. There’s even enough passengers to support two other lifts in Bournemouth, farther down the beach.
Pier
What’s a seaside town without a pier? Not much of a seaside town, I’d say, and Bournemouth has one of those too (map). Visitors have to pay a small fee to walk onto the pier so I did that, but mostly because I’m a completest and I needed to see everything. There are various attractions like climbing walls and a zip line, and there’s a restaurant out there too. Even so, I was more interested in finding a good camera angle.
Brewhouse and Kitchen
For lunch, we walked up from the beach into town, stopping at Brewhouse & Kitchen‘s restaurant at The Triangle (map). Brewhouse & Kitchen is a chain of about twenty brewpubs, with many found in southwestern England where we spent much of our time. This also marked a major milestone for me, the 700th brewery I’ve ever visited! Unfortunately it also marked my final brewery opportunity during our trip to England. Later plans didn’t work out for a variety of reasons. But if I’m going to get sidetracked I’d rather be stuck on a nice round number like 700.
One More Thing (back in Swanage)
I took a gamble returning to Swanage, attempting the Sandbanks Ferry once again but in the middle of the afternoon. I hadn’t planned on that — I was going to go around to avoid any backups — but I decided to try it anyway. In fact, I hadn’t even looked at the schedule. Unbelievably, I was one of the last three cars to slip onto an otherwise packed ferry as it prepared to depart. That kind of luck rarely happens so I savored my success and the hour-long drive I just avoided. But then we were home and it was only mid-afternoon. I suppose we could have relaxed in a waterfront café until suppertime if we hadn’t already done that the day before. I needed something new.
So I asked the family if anyone wanted to join me on the Swanage Railway (map). Some did and some didn’t, and that was fine. I know a lot of people need more downtime than I do. Still, I thought a soothing ride powered by a steam locomotive along a heritage line would meet that definition. The whole trip lasts about an hour. It goes out about 10 miles, just past Corfe Castle, and then it returns to Swanage with no other purpose. I just stared out the window and enjoyed the view.
Articles in the England Series
- Do Over
- Jurassic Coast
- Dorchester
- Bristol
- Isle of Purbeck
- Bournemouth
- Tankfest
- Onward to London
- Atypical London
- More Typical London
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr
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