Sandbanks Ferry out of service for November

There is no Sandbanks ferry service during November. The vessel is being towed to Southampton for a refit. There appears to be no alternative crossing available. Wilts & Dorset has an temporary timetable for the 50 route which is running from Bournemouth Square to Studland via Wareham and Swanage. Note that the bus is not [...]

Row over Bournemouth’s empty West Cliff hotel

BBC South Today is reporting growing local anger over an empty hotel on Bournemouth’s West Cliff. The St George Hotel at the south end of West Cliff Gardens has beautiful red hanging tiles but the only occupants are pigeons. Neighbours running other hotels feel that it gives a bad impression.  John Warwick, who owns the Hotel [...]

Public performances at Shelley Park theatre

Yesterday Bournemouth’s Mary Shelley Festival ended with a performance of a play at the Mary Shelley pub and a brief poetry reading at the Shelley tomb at St Peter’s. At the end of this month there will be an opportunity to see another play about Shelley performed at the cliff top Shelley Park in Boscombe. [...]

New surface for Highcliffe path

Following improvements to the cliff exit from Highcliffe Castle there is now news of a new surface for the Christchurch Coastal Path in front of the car park to the east. Work started last month on laying a long lasting surface to the path linking the top of Culmore Steps to the Cliffhanger Cafe. See [...]

Bournemouth’s fine view

In The Guardian this weekend Simon Hoggart deplores the fact that this year no party conference is at the seaside. He seems to have enjoyed coming to Bournemouth and although he is rude about the seafront (meaning the IMAX) he speaks highly of “one of the finest coastal views in the country” from the cliff [...]

Sandbanks Ferry’s autumn closure

Sandbanks Ferry will be out of action during November. There will be no service from Monday 1 November for at least three weeks. Wilts & Dorset bus route 50 has a special November timetable. See page 20.

Studland’s Bankes Arms in Roger Protz’ top ten

The Bankes Arms at Studland is named today by Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz as one of his top ten brew pubs “Alongside the pub is the Isle of Purbeck Brewery, a substantial 10-barrel plant that started life as the Poole Brewery before moving to Studland. Other pubs are supplied but the complete range [...]

Point House Cafe to be demolished

This weekend comes the astonishing news that the Point House Cafe building is to be demolished. Permission for a replacement in the form of  a block of flats has come from a planning inspector who says that a new building will be an improvement. The Bournemouth Daily Echo has the story. See page 52.

Mudeford Sandspit “strangely wonderful” says Simon Calder

In today’s Independent Simon Calder looks at hidden gems for stay-at-home travellers. He describes Mudeford Sandbank as “one of the most strangely wonderful locations in Britain” and just as good as Venice Beach, California. See pages 55 and 59.

Archaeological investigation at Moses Dock

Moses Dock on Pennington Marshes has not only Creek Cottage but two Tudor buildings which may have been sea salt boiling houses. Now the ground around them is being excavated over two weerks by volunteer archaeologists as part of the Festival of British Archaeology which starts on Monday 19 July. The New Forest National Park [...]