advertisement


Things to see in Dorset…

A small boat across to Hurst castle on the solent is worth considering if your youngsters fancy sitting astride some large cannons.
 
Portland is one of the strangest places I’ve ever visited.

Another idea is to go to Swanage and get the ferry over to Brownsea Island for some red squirrel spotting.
 
A boat trip over to Brownsea island in Poole harbour to try and spot some red squirrels, got beaten to this suggestion but was thinking of the boat from Poole quay. If you are into beautiful gardens Compton Acres is on Canford Cliffs or further afield Exbury is close to Beaulieu Motor museum and should still have a great display of azaleas and rhododendrons in bloom this time of year.
 
Many suggestions slightly off the OP's desire for something for a 15 year old with military interests.
 
The Haynes museum is just full of car repair books;)

There are one or two in the collection where the hayne manual Rubric is writ large: " Reassembly is what?!.... what do you mean the reverse of dissassembly! it was twenty years ago! we've forgotten!"
: D

But it is good value, and has an amazing depth and range for a private collection - inc. a Duesenburg, one of six. Also - has a really-decent cafe and other facilities.


And on quiet days, the staff - always nice people - can be quite unaffectedly-accommodating. Took my day there on his 75th Birthday, and while Browsing the Jaguars... as if by magic the shopkeeper appeared. 'Well ... might you like to try this one on for size.. or perhaps this one ..?' Thus Dad got 'a go' in them all, and one or two other things he either owned or fancied when a young man. Quite the highlight.

IMG_4520_small.jpg


IMG_4523_small.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: PsB
I was a prep school in Sparkford. In those days Haynes had their office and printing shop in a building by the railway bridge, and the museum was a fairly modest thing. A different creature now.

A bit 'off Dorset' though. If you are that far over and searching out military related stuff, the Fleet Air Arm Museum just down the road might be a better bet.
 
That is exactly where I suggested - Tyneham Village is a ghost village slap bang in the middle of it that’s used for battle simulations.

I went to Tyneham a decade or so ago. I found it rather more 'stabilised' and tidy than I was expecting. I had fun doing 'then and now' photos using the pics on the information boards, but I found it a bit soulless and tourist-ready.
 
That is exactly where I suggested - Tyneham Village is a ghost village slap bang in the middle of it that’s used for battle simulations.
Soz, I'd missed your earlier post, doh. I have distant memories as a kid of Worbarrow Beach (my father was interested in cliffs, photography and military stuff, probably why we were there), so I clicked away with my little camera. But no memories of Tyneham. We went to Bonington and enjoyed it, although the tanks and armored cars seemed awfully cramped (even though I was short and skinny in those days).
 
I went to Tyneham a decade or so ago. I found it rather more 'stabilised' and tidy than I was expecting. I had fun doing 'then and now' photos using the pics on the information boards, but I found it a bit soulless and tourist-ready.
Did the special effects for a scene for the film Comrades shot at Tyneham, fascinating place.

Comrades was a film about the Tollpuddle Martyrs, the nearby TollPuddle Martyr Museum might be worth a visit
 
How about a stone carving experience while you're down there? Burngate Stone Carving Centre is about halfway between Corfe and Swanage and they still offer little 2hr taster sessions or day courses if you fancy something a little longer. I used to run it years ago when it first started up, the location is absolutely beautiful and you could even discover a hidden talent.
 
The 29029 near Wareham is well worth the stop if you fancy Indian food, it would be 2 or 3 times the price if it were in London or surrounding counties and probably adorned by celeb pics. Couldn’t be further from that though, rundown American diner look from the outside, upmarket food inside and they supported the NHS staff quietly through lockdown when many would otherwise have had little time or access to eat.
 
The 29029 near Wareham is well worth the stop if you fancy Indian food, it would be 2 or 3 times the price if it were in London or surrounding counties and probably adorned by celeb pics. Couldn’t be further from that though, rundown American diner look from the outside, upmarket food inside and they supported the NHS staff quietly through lockdown when many would otherwise have had little time or access to eat.


we have have eaten there and I agree the food is good. We have several around here (similar Nepalese/Indian) where the prices are similar. I know of many similar quality places in Central London, that are cheaper.

But yes it is a nice place to eat
 
Portland Bill and a drink in The Cove House Inn on Chesil Beech and take in the scenery.

The Chesil Chippy Portland and The Fish Plaice in Swanage are very good.
 


advertisement


Back
Top