Thursday 26^th April 2012

Cloudy, cold, showery and 15°  

Following a hearty full English breakfast we packed the car, said good-bye to our host Liz, and set off about 9:00AM for Weymouth. On the way we drove through the New Forest area. Lots of wild ponies roaming round and even across the road so we had to be watchful of them.

First stop for the day was at Beaulieu to visit the National Motor Museum. The museum houses over 250 motor vehicles and other historical items relating to motoring, some of which are the cars from the movies “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, the De Lorian from “Back to the Future”, the Flying Ford Anglia from Harry Potter and Mr. Bean’s Mini.  Sir Donald Campbell’s land speed record-breaking car Blue Bird is also there.

The feature display this year is “Bond in Motion”. It is the world’s largest official collection of original cars used in the Bond movies. We took lots of photos.

There was also a Top Gear display including a simulator. I had to go in it. Two laps of the Top Gear test track with Stig, one in a Bugatti and the second in a K2.

The Motor Museum is on the grounds of the ruins of Beaulieu Abby. The Abby was founded by Cistercian Monks who lived there for over 300 years.  We also visited Palace House (once the Great Gate House of the Abby) and now home to the Montagu family since 1538.

Arrived in Weymouth about 3:15PM and checked into the Premier Inn. Drove into the main town area and along the Esplanade at Weymouth Beach. Very much a seaside holiday area with lots of hotels, B&Bs , and games arcades facing the esplanade. We walked along the beach front- quite cold and windy, but some sunshine.

Friday 27^th April 2012

The day started very overcast and showery but improved rapidly and by late afternoon it was sunny with a clear blue sky. Temperature approx. 15°.

Headed out via the small village of Preston and saw a carving in the chalk hills of a horse with a rider, don’t know how old it is. Then onto Corfe Castle  to see the ruins of the Castle which dates back to Norman England. The Castle was a Royalist stronghold in the Civil war and when the Parliamentarians finally breached the castle in 1645 they ordered it to be demolished.

The ruins today sit on a hillside above the picture postcard village of Corfe Castle and are really beautiful.

We had a light lunch of sweet potato & leek soup in the village tearooms and then walked down to the station to see the Swanage Railway, a historical steam railway that runs along 6 miles of track and is operated by volunteers.

Back in the car and onto West Lulworth. Parked the car in the cliff top parking area and walked about 1 klm down a steep path and steps to view Durdle Door. Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch just off the shoreline along the Jurassic Coast, which is absolutely stunning.

Next stop was Lulworth Cove, which is a beautiful horseshoe shaped beach in an idyllic setting – and the sun was shining by now.

Cerne Abbas was the next stop (a few miles north of Dorchester) and saw the Cerne Abbas Giant, a huge outline of a naked man that has been carved into the chalk hillside hundreds of years ago.

Returned back to Weymouth and walked along the beachfront break water. The beach is all pebbles and broken shells with no sand. Weymouth is also the location of the Olympic sailing competition later this year.