Those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer

 On the second Monday of our holiday, I showed husband my new route for walking into the centre of Swanage, and he agreed it was much better. He had take a slightly different route himself on the Friday, which had involved walking through a a park. After a while we went our separate ways, as I was ready for lunch and he wasn't. I had become increasingly annoyed by my hat blowing away with the breeze, and as I walked past a shop which sold mainly outdoor things, I spotted a neat little pile of hats, which seemed to be crocheted or hand knotted The did rather put me in mind of the type of hat worn in Downton Abbey. They had grey and cream. I tried one on, it seemed to fit better than the other one, and felt as if it would stay on. I duly paid for it and wore it, although it probably completely flattened my hair.
I decided that I would explore the Northern half of the promenade, as so far I had only been less than halfway, to the part where the sea defences were being strengthened. Again it was a hot day and I had chosen a sleeveless t shirt for a change. I had also liberally applied factor 20. I eventually reached the far end, and walked a little way up the road, but there was not much to see. It was the road which led inland and was the route which the bus had taken to Bournemouth. I walked back to the corner, and looked at a restaurant/cafe, The Bull and Boat, which I had seen online. I think it has a bar as well. I checked the little beach hut, but they did not do decaff
I made my way in to the Bull and Boat and found that they did decaffeinated coffee, and bought one to sit outside and drink. It was quite pleasant in the shade watching what was going on on the beach. All attempts to phone husband failed, the signal wasn't too good, or he may have had his phone on silent.

Swanage pier from the other side

start of northern beach

long lens view across to lookout

I began to walk back, and eventually managed to contact husband, so he came along to meet me. I said I thought my back felt a bit sore, I hadn't realised that the sleeveless T shirt was lower cut at the back. he said yes it did look red, so one of my purchases that day was after sun cream. I had searched for a post box for postcards earlier, but couldn't find one. I went into a shop to ask, and found out there was one yards away!
Over the weekend, we had noticed there seemed to be too many wasps coming into the kitchen. They all seemed rather angry. When I stepped outside, I spotted the biggest wasps' nest I had ever seen, attached to the eaves of the bungalow. They also seemed to be flying across to the garage, and crawling in through a crack in the wall. There was no garage key, so we could not check for another nest.
Husband said that as we were planning to go to Corfe Castle the next day, and that is where the cottage agency is, we could report it. In the meantime I kept the kitchen window firmly shut. Not easy,as I had to also shut the door to minimise the risk of anything setting the smoke alarm off, whilst cooking sausages from the local butcher, or breakfast bacon.

wasps nest

wasps on garage wall

When we returned form our trip to town that Monday, I examined my back and found it quite red, with a diagonal white mark where my bag strap had been. Despite the soreness I thought it funny, I never get an even suntan these days.
So the next day off to Corfe Castle we went. We found the car park, free to N T members, then had a little look in the shop/information room. As we left I looked at the looming hill, and thought, I'l never make it to the top. The advised route is a sort of nature walk around the back of the castle, which also passes an old mill. There was yet another party of schoolchildren there. Eventually we arrived at the castle entrance, off the town square, and I was glad to see that the castle didn't seem anywhere near as high, as we had done some sort of gradual climb on the way round.
We produced our N T cards, and were soon in the grounds, exploring, reading about the history etc, and hearing many more school groups receiving instruction. We eventually climbed up to where the keep is. I wanted to go higher, but a lot of the ground was uneven, husband's toe was still sore, neither of us is keen on heights, but I decided I would brave it further and went as high as I could. Most of the stones remain in the position where they landed when Cromwell's men blew it up, and have stayed there for over 300 years, but there are parts which are tricky, and there are notices everywhere about slips trips and falls. Occasionally, if I looked down I felt a bit queasy, but the views were fantastic. There was a great view of the steam railway.
Eventually I rejoined husband, who had been resting in a lovely green space,and we gradually made our way back down.

Coming round the back

Front entrance

looking down

Entrance and village from above

Just where they fell

good view of Poole harbour

and of the Swanage railway

Hungry sparrow in the cafe garden

We decided lunch in the tea room garden was in order, it was quite hot still, but pleasant. we ordered a Coronation chicken sandwich and a ham sandwich,and shared them. As I went through to the ladies' room at one point, I spotted a first response paramedic car at the entrance to the castle. I told husband and he said 'Yes it has driven through'. Later we saw the big ambulance, but apparently, it could not get across the bridge and through the further gates. As we strolled around the town square we heard a loud noise, and the air ambulance came into view. He circled the village a few times, the went in, landing on the green area where husband and I had been about half an hour earlier.

The air ambulance flies in

He lands near the keep

Taking off backwards

Wareham Quayside

We popped into the little local church to have a look, then found a stone seat to sit on. A gentleman came along, who told us he was from Holland but had lived in the village for 30 years and had never ever seen the air ambulance land at the castle. We all hoped that the casualty would be OK.
Later, we did discover that a woman had fallen, how far we don't know, but she had sustained leg injuries, a suspected dislocated ankle, which also can mean a bad fracture. Husband couldn't understand why the land ambulance paramedics couldn't just carry her down, but I explained that they use trolleys, and the ground would have been far too uneven.
Much later after husband had gone off in search of a comfort stop, the air ambulance took off backwards. It was fascinating to watch. Husband actually managed to get  shot of it taking off, and later e-mailed it to the local paper, who used it on their webpage. So now we are even, both having had photo's published.
We drove over to Wareham to explore a bit. We had actually called in on the way back from Durdle Door the previous week, and found a lovely tearoom.
We wandered down the quay, then round some of the streets, and husband spotted a barber's shop so went in for a a haircut. I said he would find me in the tea room. I explored another couple of streets, but the sun was so hot I thought I would melt, so I headed for the tea room. I asked for tea, yes it sounds crazy, but the tearoom was fairy cool and I resisted the urge to sit in the garden area.
Husband eventually came to join me. I said I would have liked to have found the remains of the town walls, but just couldn't cope with the heat.
We called in at the supermarket,bought enough stuff to last till the and of the week,and more ice cubes to keep it all cool. Then we drove back to Swanage having forgotten to report the wasps nests.

Sunset over nine barrow down

Next morning, I rang the cottage agency, and they said that they would get in touch with the owner. We had actually discovered that the owner lives in a town about 12 miles away from our home. later they rang me back to say that someone, presumably from the local council, would be round the next day to deal with it.
That morning, as we set off, we decided to walk right down to Peveril point and the lookout. As we approached the lookout the watchkeeper held up a sign,saying open to visitors, pointing at us and the sign. We laughed and made our way round to the door. The lookouts these days are all manned by volunteers, and the very nice chap talked about the work they do, what they see, and pondered why the inshore rescue dinghy was pootling around the bay. He said that conditions were quite unusual, in that the whole of the Isle of Wight could be seen, in fact we could see right along to the power station by Southampton. We bought some of his notecards, then as his colleague arrived for a chat, and the phone began to ring more, we decided it was time to thank him and leave.
We had a good wander, then headed off for the Trattoria, to book a table for the Thursday evening. We read the lunch menu,and decided to stay for lunch, husband had a frittata, and I had crab salad. We had decided that we would go on the pier that day, so duly paid up. We went into a little museum, which had a cafe, and they had Dorset apple cake on sale, I hadn't seen any so far, so we bought some for later. We walked right to the end of the pier, there are hundreds of tiny plaques nailed to the planks with messages engraved, some romantic, some happy memories, others in memory of loved ones who loved Swanage.
We walked round Swanage a bit more, then had coffee at Earthlights.
Late that evening we walked back to the cliff  path for the sunset, but it was too late and too cloudy. We had attempted to find a sunset the previous evening, but hadn't been too successful. The watchman had told us one of the better places to go, so we said we would bear it in mind.

We could see all of the Isle of Wight

Sea looking a bit choppy

the lookout

Poole ferry

Oh we do like to stroll along the prom.

On the Thursday of our first week away, I left the bungalow to walk into town on my own as husband was not ready. I decided to cross over and walk on the other side of the road for a change. As I approached a road named Bell Vue, I noticed a sign to the coast path so decide to investigate. At the end of the road I passed through some bollards, into a green field. There was a man in Council uniform riding a mower, and three others were sitting on a bench watching him. I went through a gate at the end of the field and found myself on a slope near the cliff top. This was a much pleasanter way to walk into the town, and I had some beautiful views. The cliff path went right down to the lookout, but I skipped that bit and set off to try and find the way to a building I had noticed. However despite taking a shortcut through the boat park, I could not find a way to get to it, but I'm sure I saw the door open and some people in there. Later I discovered that the building is in fact The Wellington clock tower, which once stood at the side of London Bridge.
It was shipped to Swanage, but the clock mechanism never arrived. It is now on private land.

View of Old Harrys and Bournemouth from cliff path

Swanage and pier from cliff path

Durlston bay from cliff path

It was very hot on that Thursday, and one of the things I had forgotten to pack was a sunhat. So after buying and eating a crab sandwich, which was relatively cheap, but mostly red meat, I set off in search of a sunhat. I was beginning to get to know the streets and back alleys. I had difficulty in finding a hat at first, but then found a little shop with a display of rather pretty, lightweight polycotton hats. I picked one up, and it seemed to fit ok, so I paid  for it. The owner of the shop commented on how unusual it was to have someone choose so quickly.
Hat on, I continued my meanderings, and wandered into a side street and climbed some steps into an amusement park/fairground. It was fairly deserted, but I bought an ice cream, and continued my wanderings.
I found that the slightest breeze seemed to take hold of my hat, and remove it from my head. I eventually met up with husband, and we found lunch for him, then later we separated again as he wanted to look for something. I suddenly remembered I hadn't had coffee, so made my way to a cafe called Earthlights in an interesting looking building. They did decaff, so I was ok, and I confess to having yielded to the temptation of what looked like home made millionaire's shortbread.
I sent a text to husband to say where I was, but the signal is poor down there. I eventually left there, later finding husband and we wandered together, then popped into Budgen's for some essentials, then made our way up to the station to pick up the number 5 bus.
On the Friday, we drove over to Lulworth cove, it was very hot, just like last time we were there about 8 years ago.  We followed a hearse down some of the country lanes, but thankfully it was going to meet other cars, so wasn't 'dead slow' . I was sure we had previously eaten in a cafe with a garden, but couldn't find it. There was a hut just above the beach selling sandwiches, quite reasonable. We sat on the chairs provided, ate our sandwiches and drank our coffee, whilst chatting to other customers about dogs. We had a stroll round part  of the very shingly beach, watched the ribrider, and marvelled at how people can sunbathe yards from a landslip, and directly under ominous looking cracks in the cliff.
Then we walked back up and I set off up a path looking for photo points. I spotted the cafe with the garden, which I had looked for in the wrong place. Husband came so far  up, but not to the top viewpoint, pleading a sore toe. Elsewhere someone appeared to be sunbathing, almost on a cliff edge. Curiosity satisfied, I rejoined husband and we went back to the car to drive to Durdle Door. There is a cliff walk over there, but we've never managed it so far. Once we had parked at the top at Durdle Door, husband pleaded a sore foot again, so I set off alone down the chalk path. I took plenty of pictures, but didn't venture down to the beaches, as  there are steps but no handrails, and I lack the confidence.
The climb up was pretty steep, and it was hot, but I was passing young people in their twenties who were complaining and needing rests, so I reckon I'm not bad for an old un. Whether I'll still be able to do it in  another 8 years is debatable. I remember being amused last time by a young woman,saying, 'Oh no, my heart is really beating, I can feel it.' I couldn't resist quipping, 'I'm glad to hear it, you should worry when it doesn't.'

Ribrider

from near viewpoint

Portland

landslip on Lulworth cove beach

man of War beach, Durdle

People were swimming trough this hole

Up above Lulworth

Durdle Door beach

nearby cliffs

Durdle Door

I must confess I was glad to see a seat at the top, and I sat down, not realising that husband was on another seat a few feet away. Eventually he joined me, and we discussed whether the gunfire we could hear was coming from the Naval vessels out on the horizon. Later we drove back to Swanage, where we spent some time in the  pleasant sun trap of a garden.
One of the drawbacks of self catering is the cooking still has to be done, so I tend to get a couple of evenings when we eat out. I had tried one restaurant, which was full, another which didn't open till 28th for evenings, I tried a third,which was full, but the lady said they could accommodate us in the Bistro part, which is light and airy,and has the same menu. In view of the 200 foot climb back home, we decided to take the car. They were working on one of the car parks, so the nearest was probably main beach, so we had quite a (mostly level) walk. We passed the station,and there was a train with passengers seated at dining tables. The meal we had at the Trattoria was so good we thought we might go again.
We both started with scallops, plentiful and not too overpriced , then I had sea bass and husband had sea bream. We followed with Panna Cotta for me, and Tiramisu for him. We had coffee, but were not offered choccy mints, and as Budgens were still open, I nipped in and bought some.
I had tried to print out some photos to make postcards, but the machine in Boots wasn't working. I thought there might be one in Weymouth, I knew there was a supermarket near there too, so on the Saturday we headed off for Weymouth. What a contrast, last time we were there it had been a wet miserable day. Now it was hot and sunny (and crowded). As we made our way towards the sea front, we soon realised that there was a parade of WWII vehicles coming through. We walked up onto the crowded promenade. On the way over, we had discussed the day's meals,and decided to have our main meal at lunchtime, to avoid having to walk down and up that hill again.

parade

We found a  fish and chip shop, and they had outside seating, so we had the same as the previous Saturday, only this time with soft drinks. Later we set off round the streets, and separated to look in different shops. In one of the streets which runs parallel  to the promenade, there was a group of older men with musical instruments, playing 1960s hits. I have to say that they were very good. I found Boots, none of their photo printing machines was working, but as I walked back down from the harbour I met up with husband, who said he had found a photographic shop. I printed out half a dozen, as that was the number of cards I had found in my cupboard. Then I asked if he minded if I had another stroll on the promenade, as I went there on holiday when I was 9, when I stayed with my Mum, Sister and Nan, in a caravan, and wanted to see if I could recognise some landmarks.

harbour

donkeys enjoying shade

the white horse

sand sculpture

Weymouth beach

servicemen. or perhaps a re-enactment group

They still have the donkeys on the beach, and sand sculptures, I think I found the old Winter gardens where we had our photo taken. There were lots of military personnel about, and stalls and there was talk of a Spitfire flypast. However, tired out by the noise, crowds and heat, I decided to head for the car park, and rang husband. It is possible that we were in the supermarket when the Spitfire flew. We bought a bag of ice cubes to keep the stuff cool on the way back to the bungalow,and spent the evening relaxing. That night When I went to bed I made sure I was lying well into the bed, I think my disturbed nights had been caused by lying too near the edge.
 I didn't wake till 8.30 am, feeling rough,and sluggish. We didn't think we could make it to Corfe castle, my back was bit sore from all the walking, perhaps too much sun too, my hat had kept on taking off, so we decided to stay put and just have a day of rest, venturing no further than the garden.

A train, a boat, some planes, (and a bus or two)

On the first Monday of our holiday, we walked down into Swanage to explore a bit, and to collect a timetable for the Swanage railway. We found that there was a Budgen's and a Co-op  for food shopping. It was a bit cloudy and breezy that day, we wandered around trying to get the feel of the place, we found a pleasant tearoom on the front where we had lunch, Jacket potato with crab for me, and pasty for husband. Creatures of habit? Us? There was seating outside, but we ate in. One of the things I had forgotten to take with me was a small purse and a small bag. Carrying a heavy shoulder bag everywhere  can be quite tiring, and I don't need most of the plastic cards I carry every day. I found a nice little bag shop,and bought a smaller purse and a lightweight 'across the body' bag.

walking down the hill into Swanage

 Afterwards we wandered a bit more, then walked to the main beach car park. I had found a bus timetable in the cottage,and there was bus which runs in the summer months to Durlston Country Park.  We soon found a group of ladies, waiting for the bus and chatted to them. They had been to Durdle door on the bus, and were now waiting for the number 5, which they hoped was running, and they joked about climbing 'Angina Hill', eventually, the number 5 came,and we boarded. The smart reader didn't seem to like our bus passes, and beeped, but it must be something to do with our County as the drivers always said,' that's ok, just go and sit down'. it was lovely to ride up the hill. Husband had managed to stub his toe on the stone fireplace in the dining room,and was finding walking painful

 We spent the  evening after dinner watching old detective series, as we wanted to avoid the football at all costs. We also read the Telegraph, and I got stuck into a Biography of the hymnwriter Augustus Toplady, which I have been meaning to read for ages.

On the Tuesday we had sorted out the train we wanted, so walked to the station and bought two Rover tickets. The track isn't very long, not as long as the NYMR for instance, but nevertheless we managed to get a steam haul. The train came in, and we watched the engine change ends. It is single track, except for passing places at stations.
We stayed on till Norden. The weather was brightening up, and it was quite warm. At Norden there is an old carriage where refreshments are served, and we had a ham bap each and a coffee. Then I wandered off down a pathway to find the ladies room, and discovered a ball clay mining museum. so we paid that a visit, and found it interesting. Then we wandered down a different path back to the railway in plenty of time to see our engine coming in.
This time we got off at Corfe castle. We thought we would visit the actual castle on a different day, but enjoyed exploring the village, and bought ourselves ice creams. We wandered back to the railway, catching the steam haul again, then getting off the train, and picking up the number 5 bus. We were pleased that the weather had picked up, I had my cuppa in the garden, then we spent the evening in a similar fashion.

I think it may have been that night that I had my first bad night,despite the comfort of the bed, I couldn't get comfy and coughed a lot.

Our Engine

trucks at clay mine

Corfe castle village

Model of village

castle from the station

On the Wednesday, we set off to visit Bournemouth, by bus. I had said we might as well get use out of our bus passes, and there is a number 50 bus, the Purbeck Breezer. So down the hill we walked, the Breezer buses leave from the side of the Railway station. Just as I boarded there was a moment's panic as I couldn't find my bus pass. I was using the new bag,and thought I had slipped it onto a pocket. I asked how much the fare was and was told £8! Suddenly I realised it was in a small zipped compartment on the front, phew!
We went upstairs,as I thought the view would be better, But the driver seemed to hare along country lanes, then stop for ages at bus stops. We did have a good view, but I found it a bit scarey. The man in front started talking to us, he seemed lonely. I wasn't too happy when he told us that a few years ago, one of the double deckers had toppled over, fortunately landing on sand and no one was hurt.
We certainly had a good view of the planes which we had noticed a few times, they seemed to circle the bay, and drop small parachutes every now and again. There are a lot of military training camps in the area, and these were definitely military planes. We passed Studland and the Naturist Beach. I had forgotten how beautifully wild that area is. Then passing through the toll we took our place in the queue for the ferry boat.
Some actually argue that it is not a boat, but a floating bridge. We had a wonderful view on the ferry, which is a chain ferry. Then the bus meandered through suburbs of Bournemouth, eventually dropping us outside a large department store. We wandered around the streets, for a while popping in various shops, then eventually found M&S, bought sandwiches etc for lunch,  and sat in a park to eat them. Later we wandered  through another park, where there is a large tethered air balloon, which only goes up and down. It was about £11 for a ride. I expect the views were spectacular, but not being fond of heights, we didn't fancy it. We then walked down to the pier,and stood watching people on the beach for a while. There was something going on, some preparation. It may have been for beach Volleyball, which is played in Bournemouth. We walked back through the park, bought ice creams, and then wandered up to the bus stop. We sat downstairs on the way back. First I was at the back, but over the engine, and it was uncomfortable, but before we left the suburbs, I managed to bag another seat,and eventually husband was able to sit beside me. Back in Swanage we caught the number 5 back to the bungalow.

tethered air balloon

Bournemouth pier

our rented bungalow

Driving down to Dorset

So on Saturday 14th June, we set off for Dorset, we didn't leave very early, we had done most of the packing, I had ironed and cleaned, but there are always those little things, 'Ooh, mustn't forget the binocs, now where is my camera tripod', etc etc. Eventually the car was all packed to overflowing, and we hadn't even packed beach chairs. We still managed to forget a couple of things. I should have checked last years list which I wrote down in a book.
We didn't get very far before we hit congestion, yes you've guessed, M25 Heathrow. We crawled along, and that was probably when I said, 'Oh no, I didn't pack such and such.' for the first time. Eventually we made it to Fleet, where we bought Waitrose sandwiches, and drinks, and ate and drank in the car. We got coffee and hot chocolate from the  Costa machine in Smiths. The cups are a sort of corrugated paper, and as we approached the till, husband managed to squeeze his, and burnt his hand, spilling coffee. From what the cashier said, it happens a lot, in fact they had just finished cleaning up the last lot. She offered him a burn easing disposable cloth, but he still ended up with a blister.
We resumed our journey, and were soon travelling at a much faster pace than before. Eventually we stopped at Wareham, having discovered that is the nearest place with a Sainsbo's. The car park was a bit tight, but we coped, bought food for the weekend, and we got a refund on the parking too.
The satnav differed from the printed instructions which I had received to find the bungalow we were renting in Swanage, but we found  our way eventually, driving up a very steep, very long hill, then down a bit, till the signs said we had reached Durlston Country park. The bungalow was just opposite a a gate leading to woodland and the coastal path. I found the key,and soon we were inside, inspecting the rooms, and unloading all our belongings, food, and loading the fridge. It was about then that husband realised he had forgotten his Netbook. Being the generous soul that I am, I said he could share use of my laptop.
We had decide it would be easier to walk into the town, and find a fish and chip shop. Not hard to do, but as we walked down the steep hill, realisation dawned that we would have to climb it on the way back. Husband's personal  GPS recorded that we actually climbed 175 feet in .4 of a mile!   The overall distance being at least .6. We found 2 chippies next to each other, and decided on the one with tables outside. Husband had cod, and I had fishcake. We looked around a bit, there were several children sitting on the quayside trying to catch crabs. They were obviously from a school,and were the first of many groups that we would see, wherever we went. Eventually, we decided we could put it off no longer, and began the steep climb back up. We made it without either of us collapsing, watched some TV, which meant channel hopping to avoid football.
Then we discovered the bed was actually comfortable, it was a Relyon with a sprung base, and a soft mattress, and we slept reasonably well. Due to the position of the bedroom, at the side with no street lights it was about as dark as can be, the only light coming on if we sat up was the room sensor for the burglar alarm.
Next morning we had breakfast then decided to try and find the little EFCC church in nearby Corfe castle. I had checked the local Baptist church website, and it didn't look to be our taste in the musical side of worship.
We parked in a car park. near the little local cemetery, which was called God's little acre, and walked through to the church. The congregation was mostly old ladies, but the have a fairly new pastor, a retired baptist minister, who has moved from Christchurch. The hymn book was Mission Praise,and because it was father's day he had chosen a few probably now quite dated modern songs about father.
His sermon was reasonable, and we stayed afterwards for coffee. One old lady was chatting to me, and it seems that she is a refugee from the Swanage baptist church, 'which has grown too big, and impersonal,and they have noisy music with drums, and people falling over.' I sympathised. I get very nervous when people start doing that sort of thing in church, most people who feel the need to fall over in church seem to collapse suddenly on to their backs. When people in the bible fell down, it was on their faces, before God.
However, I digress. We drove back to Swanage, admiring the castle as we went,and saying we must go there to visit.
Lunch over we both fell asleep. The later I did the Telegraph crossword from Saturday. There was no evening service, but we'd had a day of rest. Later still we ventured out across the road, through the gate, and along the woodland path which leads to the coastal path. We ventured along to the castle, then until we were in sight of the lighthouse. It was too cloudy for a sunset,and we're not sure how good it would have been as Swanage actually faces East, but Durlston Lighthouse is to the South. we walked back to the cottage and had a late tea, which of course included scones and clotted cream.

Peveril point

Durlston Castle

Durlston Bay

Durlston Lighthouse

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