Dorset 2026

I stayed in a thatched cottage by Corfe Castle for 2 nights, visiting 2 old pubs. At night I took a photo of the standard jigsaw puzzle view.

The castle attracts artists and photographers. It's visible from miles away. It wasn't destroyed in a battle, it was deliberately ruined ("slighted").

It's common for National Trust places to have secondhand books. Inside the castle walls there's this hut.

A steam train from Swanage goes to Corfe, providing further photo-opportunities. We walked to Swanage on the hills and caught the train back. More books were available at the station.

We walked from Sandbanks Ferry along to beach to Swanage, seeing this seaside bookshop. We visited Brownsea Island too (a first for me). Red squirrels live there, and Corfe Castle is visible. We caught a ferry there from Poole quay where there was a poster advertising "Drag Bingo" - another first for me.

Using my free bus pass I went to nearby Wareham. "Anglebury House" is the pub where Hardy often wrote. Anglebury is what he called Wareham in his novels. On the side of the pub is a sign banning Traction Engines.