Exploring the Bournemouth Coast Path

Police tapes on the Barton-on-Sea have been taken down following the weekend scare over cliff top cracks.

Existing cracks were thought by some to be linked to the Kent earthquake. This claim has now been dismissed by experts.

Dr Ian West of Southampton University, who monitors the cliffs, suggests that any activity at the east end will be confined to a narrow strip just 100 foot long.

However, the cliffs which have a long history of erosion, do remain fragile and he does predict that a 384 foot length of cliffside to the west, between the shops and Cliff House Hotel, will fall by next winter.

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 was too coincidental too ignore.”

A row of beach huts below the cliff has been evacuated but residents in Marine Drive East are remaining at home.

There has been dramatic cliff erosion over many years at Barton. Cliff Edge Café to the west was closed in 1990 and demolished.

The new danger area is between the Beachcomber Café and the start of the slope down to Becton Bunny.

There is now concern that heavy rain may cause a landslip. Rainwater, soaking quickly through the top layer of sand, can become caught in clay below creating a soggy substance which is liable to slip.

The temporary west-east diversion for the coast path is expected to be along the north side of Marine Drive East or on Grove Road behind with a return to the cliff at Becton Lane.

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 the RSPCA on 0870 5555 999.

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 the fight to save the popular cafe. The Southbourne Area Forum has also expressed concern.

The Council’s decision does not safeguard the present building and it is understood that owners Ray and Dorothy Fletcher have yet to consider any other options.

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.

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.

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 this new deadline depends on weather conditions this week and the prevailing winds next weekend.

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.

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 served walkers and beach visitors for twelve hours a day in summer. At present it is only open at weekends and but now it has been announced that its last day of trade will be Sunday 26 November.

Owners Ray and Dorothy Fletcher are selling the building due to old age according their son Richard.

Harrison Developments are seeking planning permission to replace the cafe with a four storey block of flats with underground parking.

Residents have expressed dismay at the news. Peter Walker, who runs the Kalbarri bed and breakfast opposite, says that he will be sorry to see the cafe go.

Alex James, bass guitarist for Blur, has been a regular customer often praising the cheese on toast.

Just four years ago Point House Cafe was used as a location for The Project, a BBC television drama about New Labour starring Ian McFadden.

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 period for traffic before the winter when sailing along the coast and painting is often more difficult.

The 150 Wilts & Dorset bus service which uses the ferry route will operate as a shuttle between Sandbanks and Bournemouth. Routes 142/143 which run from Swanage to Poole via Wareham will be extended to Studland and Bournemouth.