Dorset

Today we awoke again to fog, but we decided to do a bus trip around Poole harbour and to Corfe Castle via Swanage. The weather did not clear until after lunch, when we were treated to a watery sun and some lovely views of the very picturesque village of Corfe and the castle ruins on the hill above. Corfe Castle is an iconic medieval castle and one of the most visited in Britain. After the Battle of Hastings William the Conquerer swapped a church in Gillingham for the land where he began to build Corfe Castle in 1086. In the 1200s Henry 3rd and Edward 1st modernised the defenses and the last royal owner was Queen Elizabeth 1st. It now belongs to the National Trust and it has a spectacular site with lovely views from above. A steam train runs from Swanage to Corfe.(see photo)
At night we had a delicious fish meal in a little French bistro in Poole. Ali and Steve have been wonderful hosts. We have had a lot of fun and I have seen and done a lot during my 3 weeks in Britain. I am hoping to see Chatsworth tomorrow and Helen Couch, Craighead's first Gaps student is coming from from Huddersfield with her children on Saturday. Weather permitting, we will take her children to an adventure park and I will be winging my way home on Monday.