Purbeck House Hotel in Swanage has an advertisment in the Ramblers’ Walk magazine.
Walkers are welcome.
The hotel was built as the home of George Burt who worked with his uncle John Mowlem on many London buildings. Burt’s garden is littered with old bollards and posts brought back from the capital as ballast in ships which had taken Purbeck stone to London.
It is a good place to spend a first night on the coast path.
Bed and breakfast for two is £94 this month but gets cheaper from October.
The Royal Marines have abseiled down Bournemouth’s Highcliff Hotel on the first day of the Bournemouth Air Festival.
Anyone on thew coast path between Old Harry Rocks and Hengistbury Head should have some interesting views between Thursday 28 and Sunday 31 August.
Expect  a very crowded East Cliff  – between Bournemouth and Boscombe Piers.
This Sunday 24 August, St Bartholomew’s Day, sees the annual Festival Service & Picnic at the Old Churchyard adjacent to Hordle Manor Farm.
The start time is 5pm with the service following at 6pm. Visitors are invited to bring a picnic to eat on the grass among the graves of shipwrecked sailors.
The service, in the outline of the old church, also marks the beginning of Hordle Festival Week. The fair is on Saturday afternoon 30 August.
If it is raining the service will be in the present church in the village at 6.30pm as usual.
Hordle Church, a Norman building, was pulled down in 1829 and moved two miles inland partly due to fears about the crumbling cliff.
Sandbanks Ferry is operating normally today following the chain break earlier this week.
Sandbanks Ferry appears to have a broken chain and is not running today.
Britain’s 20 best beach restaurants in The Times today includes Bistro on the Beach at Southbourne.
“Former Claridge’s head chef Mario Lesnik is serving up dishes worthy of his alma mater on the prom in Bournemouth at this smart but casual diner,” says the paper.
“On the menu are the likes of duck liver pâté and pork tenderloin with New Forest mushroom cream sauce — or you can just pop in for a bacon and brie panini, or grab an ice cream from the kiosk.”
It’s a good stopping place when finishing the walk along Bournemouth’s Poole Bay and before crossing Hengistbury Head to the Christchurch Coastal Path section.
Also featured is the just opened Pig on the Beach at Studland. It’s not on the beach because this is the former Manor House Hotel on the cliff and once known for its teas.
Now it is now more a long lunch and dinner place. A double bed for one night in the winter will be £119 excluding breakfast.
Formal registered opinions on the proposed Navitus wind farm off the Bournemouth coast indicate that the majority is opposed.
Dorset green groups including Dorset Friends of the Earth are in favour of the scheme but many others are concerned about the loss of the unspoilt sea view. Benjamin Disraeli and Henry James are just two early visitors who were deeply impressed by the view of the bay from Bournemouth.
My representation has been registered with with more than 2,000 others from councils, organisations and members of the public:
“As the person who devised the original Bournemouth Coast Path and the author of Exploring the Bournemouth Coast Path guide book I consider that the wind farm would deter visitors by spoiling an outstanding bay view.
“This view has been lauded by many for around 200 years.
“The unspoilt ‘Naples Bay’ view is vital to maintaining home tourism and so reducing the numbers using aircraft which cause serious pollution. “To have the wind farm in the proposed location is not ‘eco’.”
A man has been airlifted from the beach to hospital after being found at the bottom of the Hengistbury Head cliff.
The circumstances are uncertain but it serves as a reminder to walkers to always stay on the path however interesting the view below.
Swanage promenade was closed today Thursday 3 July following the discovery of possible grenades on a building site.
The builders responsible for converting the early 19th-century barn into the Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre have won an award for the project.
Herbert H Drew & Son Ltd of New Milton has been awarded Heritage Project of the Year by the National Federation of Builders.
The award was announced during a lunch at the Connaught Rooms in London by TVÂ consumer affairs specialist Dominic Littlewood.
“Being shortlisted in an awards scheme such as this is testament to the hard work and commitment you demonstrate every day, well done,” he told the guests.
“Congratulations to all the winners. It’s nice to be presenting awards to the builders and associate companies who’ve done the job right.â€