Three Days in Dorset – Day 1

Dorset, a beautiful county about ninety minutes’ drive west of London Heathrow Airport, includes the main towns of Dorchester, Shaftesbury, Bournemouth, Weymouth and Bridport. Dorset shares borders with Devon to the west, Somerset to the northwest, Wiltshire to the northeast and Hampshire to the East.

We have already described a lovely cottage in Shaftesbury, Updown Cottage, that we used to use when we visit Dorset. Shaftesbury is on the northern edge of the county, but the entire county can be reached in about an hour’s drive from Shaftesbury. That accessibility makes Shaftesbury a good location from which to visit all Dorset has to offer, which is a lot!  This article will assume that you are based out of Shaftesbury for three days.

Vintage poster at the Norden station on the Swanage Steam Railway. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

Day 1 – The Swanage Steam Railway. Britons have a love affair with old steam trains and well they should!  Trains formed the basis for the industrial revolution in the United Kingdom in the 19^thcentury and, even today, trains are essential for millions of people to get to and from work. The Swanage Steam Railway is a restored section of railway line from Norden to Swanage, a run of about six miles. Along the way, the train makes stops at Corfe Castle and Hermans Cross for folks to “hop off” to tour. The trip is about 40 minutes long one way and runs from about 10 am to 5 pm most days. You can check the website for times.

Swanage is a beautiful costal city with a lovely beachfront. If you are there midday, the Grand Hotel has a nice restaurant that looks out on the beautiful harbor. The food is quite good and ambience is wonderful. Well worth a visit and a meal!

The ruins of Corfe Castle above the village of Corfe Castle. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

After lunch, you can go back to the train station and return to Norden but, on the way, get off at the Corfe Castle stop to do some exploring.  Corfe Castle is a village at the foot of the hill on which the ruins of Corfe Castle sit. Corfe Castle was a stronghold for the royalists in the 17^thcentury, when Cromwell overthrew the monarchy. The castle was originally built by William the Conqueror in the 11^thcentury and commands a gap in the Purbeck Hills. Even now, when you stand in the ruins, you can see why the castle was built where it is—the site commands all of the surrounding territory! In 1643, Lady Mary Bankes led the defense of the castle when it came under siege from the Parliamentarian forces. Her husband, Sir John Bankes, was in Oxford with the king at the time. By 1645, it was one of the last remaining royalist strongholds in the South of England. It fell to treachery when a Colonel Pitman, of the Royalist force inside the castle, conspired with Colonel Bingham, the leader of the Parliamentarians that were besieging the castle. Colonel Pitman proposed to go to Somerset to get an additional 100 troops for the castle defense, but when he returned, he brought with him 100 Parliamentarians in disguise. The next time the external forces attacked, the disguised troops attacked the defenders from within and the castle fell to the Parliamentarians. Lady Bankes and the garrison were permitted to leave. The following year the castle was destroyed by the Parliamentarian forces, leaving it as it is today.

The Greyhound Pub, established prior to 1580. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

The village of Corfe Castle is interesting as well, with a good pub named The Greyhound, little shops, and an interesting village church that is worth a quick visit.

Back on the train, you can return to Norden in about 15 minutes and head back to Shaftesbury.