Wareham, Swanage & Isle of Purbeck

To the west of Poole Bay is the peninsular known as the Isle of Purbeck.  Bordered by Poole Harbour and the English Channel, these idyllic rural areas of outstanding beauty have some of the finest sandy beaches at Shell Bay and Studland.

Approached from Sandbanks via the chain ferry, the area has many hidden gems such as the 11th century magnificent ruin of Corfe Castle where you can learn about the English Civil War and how the royalist Bankes family eventually succumbed to the might of the parliamentarians.  The castle has its own stop on the Swanage steam railway, travelling 6-miles through beautiful countryside of the Isle of Purbeck between Norden and Swanage.

The steam railway has ambitions to link into the historic market town of Wareham situated between the Rivers Frome and Piddle.  Wareham has some fine examples of Medieval, Anglo-Saxon and Georgian architecture and has strong local connections to T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia).

Not far from Wareham are the visitor attractions of Monkey World and Bovington Tank Museum. 

The coastline between Studland and Swanage is simply stunning with chalk deposits jutting out into the bay at Old Harry Rocks, marking the start of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and continuing on to Lulworth Cove.

Swanage itself is a small coastal town with a fishing heritage and a Victorian seaside feel.  Popular with summer visitors the town also plays host to Jazz and Folk music festivals.