Exploring the Bournemouth Coast Path

The New Forest Food & Drink Festival touches the coast path so this is the moment to mention the existence of rare Keyhaven Lamb.

As part of the festival, Aubrey Farm at Keyhaven will be open this Friday 4 November and Saturday 5 November 9.30am-3pm. Its shop, known as Lisa’s Larder, will be having one of its occasional openings.

Keyhaven Lamb, like Romney Salt Marsh Lamb in Kent, has a spacial taste enhanced by the sea salt in the grass. You can sometimes see the sheep grazing near Sturt Pond at the start of the Hurst Spit.

This Friday and Saturday there will be a  lamb dish (£4.95) available to enjoy in the marquee from noon.

Keyhaven is just beyond Milford-on-Sea.

With the return to GMT, Mudeford Ferry is now operating weekends only 10am-4pm   weather permitting.

The winter coast path route is via Tuckton Bridge and Stanpit. Wick Ferry is running when the flag is flying but there is no daily service in winter.

Hythe Ferry which runs across Southampton Water from Hythe to Southampton is a link on the Solent Way.

The Milford-on-Sea to Emsworth Solent Way is the eastward continuation of the Bournemouth Coast Path and Christchurch Coastal Path.

Suddenly the future of Hythe Ferry is under threat with news that White Horse Ferries, which has run the service for 25 years, finds the service to be no longer viable.

The ferry has been running since at least Tudor times. A railway for foot passengers has operated on Hythe Pier, built in 1897, since 1909.

A Hythe Pier & Ferry Group has been formed to explore ways to maintain a service.

A petition has been launched to gauge support.

Bournemouth University’s Professor Vincent May, an expert in coastal conservation, has advised Christchurch Council to leave Highcliffe coast alone.

“It is because we’re keeping it as it is and maintaining it, that people are able to enjoy it,” Professor May told a council scrutiny committee.

“It is something which stands out as different from the rest of the coast; making use of the fact that it is an incredible and attractive and unchanging piece of the coastline.”

The National Trust is keeping Studland’s Middle Beach Cafe open until at least October next year 2017.

Its future is uncertain due to the Trust’s policy of not renewing sea defences but when closure becomes inevitable the plan is to open a new cafe with toilets nearby.

The cafe is the first stop on the coast path after Studland village to reach Sandbanks.

The NT has come under huge fire from beach hut owners and visitors.

Dialogue is ongoing with regular visitors and Studland Parish Council.

The policy of non-intervention can be seen on the Isle of Wight’s southern coast where the NT is planning decades ahead for when the sea beaches the Military Road.

Artist Paul Nash died 70 years ago at Boscombe and to mark the anniversary Tate Britain is staging a major Paul Nash exhibition.

He died in July 1946 at the Florida Hotel in Boscombe Spa Road. The building is now flats called Victory Court.

It was from the balcony at the back of the hotel that he looked out across Sea Road to Honeycombe Chine and produced his very last work featuring a familiar clifftop shelter.

Florida Hotel balcony

Sadly the Boscombe painting, now in private hands, is not included in the latest exhibition although it was shown at the Tate as part of an earlier exhibition.

But why did he come to Boscombe?

“Boscombe is next to Bournemouth, Bournemouth is next to Poole and Poole is next to Swanage. And there I am in my kingdom,” he wrote weeks earlier.

Looking south-west Nash could see the Isle of Purbeck with Swanage’s Peveril Point on the very tip.

Photograph of Swanage seats by Paul Nash

Just as Nash included the municipal shelter in his Boscombe painting so in Swanage he had taken a close interest in the seats on Swanage seafront. His photograph of the benches illustrated an Architectural Review article.

Paul Nash lived in Swanage at 2 The Parade, near the fish and chip shops, for a year from February 1935 when writing the Dorset Shell Guide. A copy is displayed behind glass at the Tate.

Earlier he had stayed at Whitecliff Farm near Ballard Down which features in several paintings. One is Stone Tree showing a fossilized tree on the farm.

Exhibition souvenirs include a post card reproduction of Event on the Downs 1934

Paul Nash is at Tate Britain daily until 5 March; admission £15.

The exhibition will travel to Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich (7 April to 20 August) and Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle (9 September to January 2018).

The Needles, Isle of Wight

Members of the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild have greatly enjoyed looking at the Bournemouth Coast Path and Christchurch Coastal Path from the Isle of Wight.

The Guild’s 2016 gathering held at Newport allowed for an afternoon visit to The Needles Old Battery hosted by the National Trust.

OWPG members were able to look west to see the continuation of the island’s chalk ridge in the form of Studland cliffs and Old Harry Rocks on the Isle of Purbeck fifteen miles away (above). This is also National Trust land.

The Isle of Wight, like Poole and Bournemouth, has several chines including National Trust owned Brook Chine. In Christchurch Bay any chine is known as a bunny.

Beckton Bunny near Barton-on-Sea

Bournemouth from the Isle of Wight

Hengistbury Head

The coast path passes the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum but how often do you go in?

This Sunday admission is free as part of the Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival.

Tickets are usually a high £6.

You can enjoy the view of the bay from the rooms where Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Cotes lived at the start of the 20th century. There is even some royal furniture once in the next door Royal Bath Hotel.

The Russell-Cotes is open FREE on Sunday 9 October 10am-5pm.

The Beach House seen from the coast path

The Beach House appears behind a line of protective evergreen trees as you approach Milford-on-Sea.

At last I have been inside.

When on the path running down to The White House turn off on the second rough path to the left to walk up to the terrace.

What is now a Hall & Woodhouse pub was until recently one of the UK’s top fifty hotels. But it was not easy just to walk in and look around.

The house was built in 1897 for electricity pioneer Alexander Siemens. He called it Westover but the family referred to their holiday home as ‘the beach house’.

The architect was Arnold Mitchell. After Siemens died here in 1928, the house was bought by motor pioneer Lord Nuffield who stayed in 1930 to 1932.

The building became a pub in 2012. The atmosphere is informal.

The bar is in the hall beneath the stained glass which Siemens’ wife preferred to net curtains. In the front room there is a huge fireplace decorated with de Morgan tiles.

The best place to eat is on the terrace with a view of The Needles. You order at the bar and the food arrives at your table.

The menu includes sandwiches with honey and mustard coleslaw from £3.99. Soup is an extra £2.75.

From the blackboard I chose grilled sardines with new potatoes, rocket and roast tomato sauce (£9.95).

And there are plenty of puddings from £4.55.

Food is served from noon to 9pm. Breakfast is 8am-10am.

Seeing the cakes on the counter as I left it might be worth calling in for tea if you cannot wait to get to the Needles Eye Cafe on the promenade or Polly’s Pantry in the village.

The Beach House at Milford-on-Sea is open daily.

Part of the entrance hall window

View from terrace at lunchtime

Diversion notice

The path in front of the White House at Milford-on-Sea is closed from today.

Work is due to begin on the controversial beach hut replacement scheme.

A diversion will run along Ravens Way, Westover Road and Hurst Road at the back of the White House.

The work, made necessary by the 2014 St Valentine’s Day Storm, will continue until February next year.

The diversion is to the left at the end of this path. The White House is ahead.