Barton-on-Sea cliff closed

Marine Drive East and the parallel cliff top at Barton-on-Sea have been closed following the sudden appearance of a thousand foot long crack.
A suggestion that the crack appeared at about the same time as Kent was experiencing an earthquake on Saturday is being taken seriously by the Marine and Coastguard Agency. A spokesperson said: “It [...]

Napoli cargo hits Bournemouth beaches

Items from the container ship Napoli are beginning to be found on beaches at Bournemouth and Highcliffe. The cargo ship ran aground off Devon last month.
Dog biscuits, cosmetics, dried milk, shampoo and even car parts have been reported found along with several dead seabirds covered in oil.
Anyone seeing a live oiled bird should contact [...]

Point House replacement flats refused

The new year 2007 opens with the news that planning permission to replace the Point House Cafe in Southbourne with cliff top flats has been refused.
Bournemouth Planning Committee rejected the plan during a sitting on the Thursday before Christmas.
More than 800 objections were sent to the Council and Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood has joined [...]

Sandbanks Ferry back in service

Normal service has been resumed by Sandbanks Ferry after a break of six weeks.
This was double the expected length of closure due to a refit at Southampton. Bad weather made both repainting difficult and voyages to and from The Solent.

Sandbanks Ferry still not operating

The Sandbanks Ferry, which left the Poole Harbour entrance a month ago, has still not returned from its refit in Southampton.
There is now no published date for the resumption of the ferry service.

Further delay for Sandbanks Ferry

Sandbanks will continue to be without its ferry until at least Monday 4 December.
The vessel’s refit in Southampton has progressed with difficulty due to severe wet weather which has prevented the final coat of paint from being applied.
The next tidal opportunity to re-float the ferry is on Saturday 2 December but meeting [...]

Sandbanks Ferry delayed

Sandbanks Ferry will not be operating on Monday 20 November as expected and may not return to service until later in the week.
The refit of the vessel at Southampton has involved more work than expected.
The return sailing down the Solent and across Poole Bay is subject to weather and sea conditions.

Point House Cafe to close

The Point House Cafe in Southbourne is to close this month.
The cafe, the last building at the eastern end of the Bournemouth cliff near Hengistbury Head, is very popular with walkers wishing to pause
at the end of the 9 mile cliff section of the coast path.
When the whitewashed cafe first opened in 1963 it [...]

Ferry service suspended

Sandbanks Ferry, which links the Dorset Coast Path to the Bournemouth Coast Path, will be out of action from Monday 23 October to Sunday 19 November.
The vessel is due to make rare journey pulled by two tugs to Southampton for a three week refit which will include cleaning and repainting. This is the quietest [...]

Minister discusses New Forest coastal issues

Barry Gardiner MP, Minister for Biodiversity, Landscapes and Rural Affairs, discussed the Solent coastline when he visited the New Forest to mark its designation as a national park.
The recently redrawn New Forest boundary runs almost to the Bournemouth Coast Path at Milford-on-Sea and embraces the start the Solent Way on Pennington Marshes.
The minister, having [...]