Date: Location: Walk Leader: Participants: Distance: Parking: Lunch: | 10th August 2016 Studland Ferry to Swanage Ray Ray, Peter 7.5 miles Not required Harry Ramsdens, Swanage ★★▲ |
There were only two of us again this week and Pam kindly chauffeured us to the Ferry terminal at Sandbanks. The beach was almost completely deserted when we started along the sand and around Studland Bay. We thought we might have an early break sitting on the bench close to Old Harry but others had beaten us to it so we finally stopped at Ballard Point. After we had climbed to the top Ray noticed that Peter had no longer got his walking pole - (oh no not another loss)! Walking back to Ballard Point did not produce said pole and it remains a mystery as to where it vanished. Just where the path reaches the start of the housing on the outskirts of Swanage there is a footbridge and we have, in the past followed the South West Coast Path route from here. Today we decided to see if we could walk along the beach and were delighted to find a fairly easy route all the way along the from and into the town. There are just a handful of wooden groins to clamber across but they are quite manageable. We were rather surprised and disappointed to see the latest developments in Swanage that have turned it into a "kiss me quick hats and candy floss" beach front. The one positive thing about the development was the new Harry Ramadan's restaurant where we had very good fish and chips with a very decent large pot of tea. We reached the No. 50 bus stop in good time to be near the front of the queue to travel back to Westbourne. A good walk on a nice sunny day. |