Lovely seaside town (Swanage in general)

Member Name: Beanie8844

Product:	Swanage in general
Date:	10/09/08 (202 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great beach with watersports, lots to see and do

Disadvantages: the weather isn't guaranteed

The town of Swanage is a small seaside resort in Dorset (population 11,000). Swanage sits at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, about 10km south of Poole. It used to be a small port and fishing village until the Victorian era when it became the tourist seeking seaside town it is today. It's a lovely place and still very natural - on a clear day you can see for miles from the clifftops and even sea dolphins swimming offshore.

The real attraction to Swanage for holidaymakers is the mile long golden sandy beach, which the children will love. It has the European blue flag standard and won the Tidy Britain Group seaside award in 2003. Swanage is considered to be the British home of scuba diving because of its many offshore wrecks and crystal clear waters. The sheltered conditions of Swanage Bay caused by the Purbeck Ridge are taken advantage of by many diving schools and the dive shop in the town centre was the first to open in the UK. In addition to diving there are many other watersports available to people on the beach, water skiing, wind surfing, sailing, jet skiing, pedal boats and fishing, so there is plenty to do.

Moving around from the beach to the other side of Swanage Bay (stone quay) there are two piers. There is the 'old pier' which was built in the 19th century and is made from wood, but is in quite bad condition today and the 'new pier.' Coastal pleasure cruises and leisure fishing boats operate daily in season from the new pier and are reasonably priced. I can remember taking a pleasure boat out to old harrys rock as a boy ad thoroughly enjoyed it so I definitely recommend these trips, from what I have heard the fishing trips are great fun too, although this would be much better on a sunny day.

The town centre has many different types of shops, but in particular the pubs and restaurants are great. Fish and chips is served as the local speciality and can be eaten as you walk along the promenade which is nice. If you are a sporty person then nearby is the beach gardens sports centre which has all-weather tennis courts, outdoor bowls and an 18 hole putting golf course. You can even hire a mountain bike and enjoy the Purbeck cycleway which shows you great views over Swanage Bay.

Nearby:
* Ballard Down - part of the southern England chalk formation
* Old Harry Rocks - chalk stacks, visited by tourist boat from stone quay
* Studland Bay - lovely beaches, but part is naturist so be prepared
* Durlston Country Park - 280 acre nature reserve
* Corfe Castle - old castle, great place to visit
* Swanage Town and Herston Football Club

I think Swanage is a great British seaside town because there is loads to do and see. If you are thinking about going to a British resort this summer for a holiday or even a weekend I would well recommend Swanage.

Tourest Information Centre
The White House
Shore Road
Swanage
Dorset
BH19 1LB
Tel: +44(0) 1929 422885

Thanks for reading.
(This review is also posted on Ciao under the same name)

Summary: a fantastic British seaside resort