Swanage Online – 01929 421 070
Find out why Swanage makes the ideal base for your holiday, the area has a wide range of attractions open throughout the year.
http://www.virtual-swanage.co.uk/
Local Attractions:
There is a huge variety of places to visit and activities to enjoy in Swanage and the surrounding villages and towns. Below we have listed some which we hope guests will enjoy.
The Beach
The gently-sloping beach in Swanage is very sandy and generally the water is very calm, making it safe for swimming. For really beautiful unspoilt beaches a trip to Studland – Shell Bay Beach (a few miles away by car or local bus) is a must.
Swanage Town Council – 01929 423 636
Families are well catered for with a variety of all-weather attractions, indoor leisure activities and events.
Purbeck Sports Centre – 01929 500 000
Located in Wareham, offers a great programme of sport and leisure activities.
http://www.dorsetforyou.com/purbecksportscentre
Horse Riding at Studland Riding School – 01929 450 273
Beach and cliff top riding treks (depending on the season) are available to all standards of riders.
http://www.studlandstables.com/
Tower Park in Poole
A great place to visit in poor weather, cinemas, bowling, water park and lots of places to eat and drink.
http://www.towerparkentertainment.co.uk/
The Blue Pool – 01929 551 408
A unique and tranquil place to visit, perhaps with a picnic.
http://www.bluepooltearooms.co.uk/
Isle of Purbeck Golf Club – 01929 450 354
A great place to play a game of golf with truly stunning views. The beginners are catered for on the 9 hole Dene course and the Purbeck Championship course proves an exciting test for even the most accomplished golfer.
Swanage Railway – 01929 425 800
Dorset’s premier standard gauge preserved steam railway. The award-winning Swanage Railway currently operates on the six miles of track between Swanage and Norden, through the beautiful Isle of Purbeck, passing the magnificent ruins of Corfe Castle.
Corfe Castle, Dorset – 01929 481 294
Thousand-year-old castle, an iconic survivor of the English Civil War, rising above the Isle of Purbeck. One of the most evocative ruined castles in England. Over 1,000 years of turbulent history. The Swanage Railway operates a steam train service to Corfe, or there are car parks near to the castle if you would rather the convenience of your own vehicle.
Jurassic Coast – 01305 224 132
The Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site is England’s first natural World Heritage Site – it is known as The Jurassic Coast. It covers 95 miles of truly stunning coastline from East Devon to Dorset, with rocks recording 185 million years of the Earth’s history.
Brownsea Island – 01202 707 744
Peaceful island of woodland, wetland and heath with a wide variety of wildlife, famous for being the birthplace of Scouting and Guiding. A haven for wildlife, including red squirrels, peacocks and deer. Discover nature in this unspoilt setting by taking a boat to visit the island.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-brownsea_island/
Durlston Country Park – 01929 424 443
A 15 minute walk away is a spectacular 113 hectare (280 acre) countryside paradise, consisting of sea-cliffs, coastal limestone, hay meadows, hedgerows and woodland. Whether it is the fabulous views, walks, the Great Globe, the superb geology or the fascinating array of wildlife, there is always something different to see at Durlston.
http://www.durlston.co.uk/index.php?nid=19&id=193
Monkey World – 01929 405 414
Set amongst the woodland of Dorset lays 65 acres of sanctuary for over 150 primates. Monkey World was set up in 1987 by Jim and Alison Cronin to provide abused Spanish beach chimps with a permanent, stable home. Today Monkey World works in conjunction with foreign governments from all over the world to stop the illegal smuggling of apes out of Africa and Asia. At the park visitors can see more than 150 primates of 15 different species.
Putlake Adventure Farm – 01929 422 917
A family run adventure farm set in the beautiful Purbeck countryside, at Langton Matravers only 2 miles from Swanage town centre. Large indoor heated soft play zone, outdoor play area, bottle feeding lambs and goats, tractor trailer rides, many rare breeds of animals, pet and garden centre plus tearooms.
http://www.putlakeadventurefarm.com/
The Tank Musuem, Bovington – 01929 405 096
The Worlds Largest Collection of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles.
The Ginger Pop Shop (Enid Blyton) – 01202 670 540
The Ginger Pop Shop in Corfe Castle village Square. It helps Enid Blyton fans of all ages to a greater enjoyment of her books through exploring the places in Dorset where the stories were set and by understanding the historical period in which they were written.
Chococo Shop/Café – 01929 421 777
For any chocoholics, this is a must! You can watch chocolates being made (if you visit at the right time) and usually they have some samples to try. Of you can sit down with a drink and snack. We recommend the ice creams with hot chocolate sauce!
Scuba Diving – 07917 794 075
For any keen diver there is a local diving school.
http://www.swanagediving.co.uk/
Sailing – 01929 422 987
Sailing is a very popular activity in Swanage, and we can almost guarantee that during your stay you will see sailing boats in the bay from the flat windows.
http://www.swanagesailingclub.org.uk/
Rock Climbing – 0114 226 2362
With the Jurassic cliffs, brings ample climbing for the adventurous types.
http://www.rockfax.com/databases/results_area.html?id=6
Poole Speedway – 01202 681 145
Motorbike racing on a dirt track takes place in Poole every Wednesday at 7.30 from March-October, it makes an exciting evening.
http://www.poolespeedway.net/
Pleasure Boats – 01202 724 910
For a boat trip round the Bay, visit Dorset Cruises.
http://www.dorsetcruises.co.uk/
Activities for Children
There is an excellent fenced playground on the seafront, where adults can sit and enjoy the views over Swanage bay whilst the children play. There is also another adjacent playground with a bouncy castle, train and various other activities available for a small cost. About a 10 minute walk away from the seafront, by the main town car park, is an excellent modern playground plus skateboard park. During the summer months the beach has a Punch & Judy show and a section of the sea is netted allowing children to play safely on floats.
Festivals in Swanage:
There are plenty of festivals in Swanage! There is the Jazz/Blues festival, Folk festival, Regatta weeks and a fancy dress extravaganza on New Year’s Eve, which is a massive street party! Fireworks are common through the summer holidays, usually on Saturday nights and the regatta lasts for two weeks within July/August with different events happening daily.
Poole Harbour & Bournemouth are just an open top bus ride away.
Places to Eat:
Ocean Bay – 01929 422 222
The Corner Restaurant & Cellar Bar – 01929 424 969
http://www.thecornerrestaurant.co.uk/
La Trattoria – 01929 423 784
The Red Lion – 01929 423 533
http://www.redlionswanage.co.uk/
The White Horse – 01929 422 469
www.thewhitehorseinnswanage.co.uk
The Bankes Arms – (Studland) – 01929 450 225
The Manor House Hotel – 01929 450 288
http://www.themanorhousehotel.com/
Tawneys Wine Bar – 01929 422 781
http://www.tawnyswinebar.co.uk/
Scott Arms (Corfe) – 01929 480 270
http://www.thescottarms.com/find.html
Mortons House Hotel (Corfe) – 01929 480 988
http://www.mortonshouse.co.uk/
Lai Ho (Chinese Restaurant) – 01929 424 476
Masala (Indian Restaurant) – 01929 427 299
Rainbow Fast Food – 01929 427 373