Poole Harbour but No Squirrels!

Brownsea Island
Towards the end of our smooth passage from Portland to Poole we passed close by 'Old Harry', a very distinctive group of chalk stacks marking the beginning of Studland Bay. The stacks almost resemble a gathering of wise old men and women discussing an important matter.

Old Harry

As we passed by these chalky sentinels the entrance to Poole Harbour itself came into view guarded by the chain ferry shuttling between Sandbanks and Studland. Nikki timed her approach to pass safely and before long Distant Drummer had dropped anchor a few hundred yards off the south shore of Brownsea Island in the rather alarmingly named ‘Blood Alley Lake’. In fact, we were sort of between Blood Alley and Whiteground ‘lakes’. They are not really lakes but form part of the enormous expanse of water that is Poole Harbour which is purported to be the second largest natural harbour in the world. As we clambered up the steep path away from the beach DD looked quite remote.

Anchored off Brownsea.

Few boats ventured past our anchorage during our stay due to the shallowness of the water. In fact, at low tide, we completely dried out and were able to inspect the undersides of the hull which was when we discovered a ball of bright orange fishing net attached to our newly fitted port propeller! No harm done; and it was soon removed with the aid of scissors and a sharp knife. It did explain our lack of manoeuvrability on that side and our slightly higher than normal fuel consumption.

Despite its close proximity to the mainland, Brownsea is starkly different in terms of its wildlife and history. Red squirrels thrive in the woodland, although they evaded our best efforts to spot them so we acquired 'Scout' a souvenir from the coffee shop at Brownsea Castle.

Scout the red squirrel.

A young viking named 'Canute' is supposed to have used the island as his base prior to attacking the town of Wareham. In later years a small village named Maryland supported a community on the northern shore although now just a few piles of bricks are all that is left.

Maryland village.

Brownsea is also the spiritual home of the scouting movement. Robert Baden Powell's first ever scout camp is still used to this day.

Scouts

Poole
After a couple of idyllic nights anchored off Brownsea we piloted DD into nearby Poole Quay marina and discovered the RNLI traning college and 'Sunseeker' where they make super yachts.

RNLI

Sunseeker

Poole has a varied history and some interesting buildings along with a fantastic free museum documenting the town's past. Here are some of our favourites.

A 'green' pub

Old Customs House

Home to flying boats.

A Dutch ship's head in the museum.

Towards the end of our stay in Poole we hired a car as Robin had a medical appointment in Bristol. After a longish day on the roads we arrived back in Poole and rather than returning the vehicle we used the last few hours to take a drive out to Sandbanks and catch the chain ferry to Studland.

Ferry to Studland

Sandbanks has some of the highest property prices in the country but we both agreed that Studland and the Isle of Purbeck across the water were more picturesque. After another couple of miles we parked on the seafront at Swanage and ate fish finger sandwiches and ham, egg and chips at a cafe with panoramic views out across the sea toward the Isle of Wight. Robin also opted for a Mr Whippy ice cream.

Swanage

We returned to Poole via Corfe Castle grabbing some ‘drive-by’ photos as we passed the iconic misshapen battlements perched at impossible angles on a very steep sided motte.

We also dived in and out of Wareham, a beautiful town nestled on the western side of Poole harbour and scene of Viking raids at the hands of Canute. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Poole, both on anchor off Brownsea and in the marina at Poole Quay, and made a note to visit again next time we were passing.

Brownsea Castle