There's another Fred café, this time in Poole
From Poole to Portland the Slow Way: a Dorset Odyssey - 18th January 2026
After hanging out in New Milton with the "Golden Boys", Nosher and Sean head down to Hannah's place in Portland. For a bit of a change, and to use up some time so that Hannah can pack for a trip to Brazil, Sean takes us the long way round with stops at some of the more interesting places. We head off via Poole to get the chain ferry over to Sandbanks. From there, we visit Swanage for a longish stop, with a look at the heritage railway line and a few parked steam locomtives, followed by a walk around on the seafront. Then it's off to Corfe for a quick look at the castle and some bakery products for a snack, with a look at the other end of the heritage line. Finally, we stop off at Wareham before arriving in Portland. The evening plan - after Nosher has cooked Katsu curry for tea - is a trip to the nearby George pub, but it's closed on Sundays so we end up at the sports bar that is the Punchbowl. As a bonus, not only does it have Wadworth's 6X on draught, but it also has a free pool table, so we play a load of Stick. The next day, we have a short walk around the cliffs in Easton after which it's time to be dropped off at Weymouth station, with half an hour to kill by way of a look around the area near the Esplanade.
next album: Dove Players' Wrap Party, Braisworth, Suffolk - 23rd JAnuary 2026
previous album: The Golden Boys in New Milton, Hampshire - 17th January 2026
A fancy Victoriam arcade in Poole
A hazy view over Poole Harbour
Sean waits in the car on the chain ferry
Cars queue on the Sandbanks side of the ferry
Old ferry chains are lined up by the roadside
The beach is quiet at Swanage
Work is done on a BR Mark 1 coach
A very old VW splitty campervan
SR U-class 31806 at Swanage
Battle of Britain-class 34070 Manston
A Class 33 diesel lurks in the sidings
We walk past an old VW Polo
A Class 08 shunter on the platform at Swanage
Sean roams around outside the closed station
Looking up Shore Road
Some chalk graffiti is refreshed
Sean on the old railway tracks by the seafront
Someone fishes off Stone Quay
There's a cone up a tree
Looking over the derelict pier to Old Harry Rocks
A K6 phone box on Swanage's High Street
Sean walks under the Mowlem theatre
The 1967 Mowlem building in Swanage
The broken gatehouse of Corfe Castle
A view of a thatched cottage from on the Motte
A jackdaw perches on a stone
Remains of Corfe Castle's keep
A view over the village of Corfe
More castle remains, survivors of the Civil War
The Fox pub on West Street
A level-crossing gate at the railway museum
Sean looks at Class 33/1 33053
Corfe Castle and a couple of semaphore signals
A 1967 poster, when Class 432 4-REPs were modern
The castle behind the Greyhound pub
The river's fairly full at Wareham
The Old Granary on the River Frome
Looking up South Street in Wareham
A little alley off South Street
Saint John's Hill in Wareham
The nave of Lady St. Mary
An impressive modern stained-glass window
Sean looks shifty wandering around the Quay
The bascule bridge is up at Weymouth
Sean racks up in the Punchbowl
There's a free pool table in the Punchbowl
The bar of the Punchbowl
The unusual church of St. George's in Easton
A digger with an enormous stone-cutting chainsaw
Some art used to cover up offensive graffiti
Portland's 'Cliffs of Moher'
Sean walks the clifftop path to Blacknor Fort
A look back towards Chesil Beach
A gun emplacement at Blacknor Fort
A jumble of rocks near Blacknor Fort
Sean under the remains of the fortifications
Graffiti on an electrical box
We help someone with a wheelie bin problem
The gold postbox on St. George's Estate Road
It's still Christmas in Hannah's house
Swimmers near the Pier Bandstand on the beach
Dog walking on the beach at Weymouth
A shelter and the Jubilee Clock on the Esplanade
The back streets of Gloucester Mews
A colourful mosaic on the railway station
Weymouth's platforms two and three
An old Covid sign on the platform at Dorchester
Striking tags on lineside signalling boxes
Parallel lines formed by railway tracks
Wall tags and the Shard in Southwark
Giant Helch, Rude and Monkey tags
Colourful graffiti on a wall
Back at Liverpool Street Station
The train is ready to leave from Platform 8
Hanging around at Diss Station, waiting for a lift
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There's another Fred café, this time in Poole
There's another Fred café, this time in Poole
A fancy Victoriam arcade in Poole
A hazy view over Poole Harbour
Sean waits in the car on the chain ferry
Cars queue on the Sandbanks side of the ferry
Old ferry chains are lined up by the roadside
The beach is quiet at Swanage
Work is done on a BR Mark 1 coach
A very old VW splitty campervan
SR U-class 31806 at Swanage
Battle of Britain-class 34070 Manston
A Class 33 diesel lurks in the sidings
We walk past an old VW Polo
A Class 08 shunter on the platform at Swanage
Sean roams around outside the closed station
Looking up Shore Road
Some chalk graffiti is refreshed
Sean on the old railway tracks by the seafront
Someone fishes off Stone Quay
There's a cone up a tree
Looking over the derelict pier to Old Harry Rocks
A K6 phone box on Swanage's High Street
Sean walks under the Mowlem theatre
The 1967 Mowlem building in Swanage
The broken gatehouse of Corfe Castle
A view of a thatched cottage from on the Motte
A jackdaw perches on a stone
Remains of Corfe Castle's keep
A view over the village of Corfe
More castle remains, survivors of the Civil War
The Fox pub on West Street
A level-crossing gate at the railway museum
Sean looks at Class 33/1 33053
Corfe Castle and a couple of semaphore signals
A 1967 poster, when Class 432 4-REPs were modern
The castle behind the Greyhound pub
The river's fairly full at Wareham
The Old Granary on the River Frome
Looking up South Street in Wareham
A little alley off South Street
Saint John's Hill in Wareham
The nave of Lady St. Mary
An impressive modern stained-glass window
Sean looks shifty wandering around the Quay
The bascule bridge is up at Weymouth
Sean racks up in the Punchbowl
There's a free pool table in the Punchbowl
The bar of the Punchbowl
The unusual church of St. George's in Easton
A digger with an enormous stone-cutting chainsaw
Some art used to cover up offensive graffiti
Portland's 'Cliffs of Moher'
Sean walks the clifftop path to Blacknor Fort
A look back towards Chesil Beach
A gun emplacement at Blacknor Fort
A jumble of rocks near Blacknor Fort
Sean under the remains of the fortifications
Graffiti on an electrical box
We help someone with a wheelie bin problem
The gold postbox on St. George's Estate Road
It's still Christmas in Hannah's house
Swimmers near the Pier Bandstand on the beach
Dog walking on the beach at Weymouth
A shelter and the Jubilee Clock on the Esplanade
The back streets of Gloucester Mews
A colourful mosaic on the railway station
Weymouth's platforms two and three
An old Covid sign on the platform at Dorchester
Striking tags on lineside signalling boxes
Parallel lines formed by railway tracks
Wall tags and the Shard in Southwark
Giant Helch, Rude and Monkey tags
Colourful graffiti on a wall
Back at Liverpool Street Station
The train is ready to leave from Platform 8
Hanging around at Diss Station, waiting for a lift