"Corfe Castle! I saw it first." These words were usually uttered in an excited shriek by my elder son from the back of the car as we ascended the hill that rises from Stoborough towards Corfe Castle and Swanage beyond. They would cue an agitated dispute as to who had in fact seen it first ("Matthew's making it not fair" my younger son would complain, probably justly, since I suspect his brother had memorised the point on the road from which the jutting top of the castle was originally first seen, and continued to make his claim at the same place even after the hedgerows had grown too high for it to be visible from there), but they also cued ...  Read the complete review

When I turned 30 earlier this year one of my gifts was a National Trust membership for myself and my girlfriend. My first thought was that it was definitely a sign that I was getting old...especially as my very next thought was that it was a brilliant gift! I have lost count of the number of times my girlfriend and I have wanted a day out and struggled to think of anywhere to go, and even when we have, the cost has often been pretty steep, so now, to have the whole of the National Trust to choose from and to get free parking and entry would be great. We recently went for a short break near Poole and decided to take a visit to some of the local ...  Read the complete review

Corfe Castle is located between Poole and Swanage, and is adjacent to the Swannage Railway. We parked on the park on ride at Norden and travelled by train to Swannage. After a look at Swannage and a boat trip to see Old Harry's rock, we called in at Corfe on the return train journey. The view of the castle from the train is very good and I would highlt recommend using the car park at Norden and travelling by train as parking in Corfe looked limited. Corfe Castle is a short walk from the railway station but is up hill. We purchased the family guide which came in very useful when we went round the castle as it gave the history and a guide to the layout of ...  Read the complete review

We travelled to corfe castle via the steam train that runs from swanage. Now we wouldnt normally pay to go to somewhere like here however I had printed off three tickets I got from my brit points from walkers crisps. So when we got there we walked to the pre entrance. Once inside cue argument that I couldnt use all three vouchers. I argued my point and told them well I'll not bother then when they decided to let me use them afterall. We then walked up to the entrance and there was no problem with the old guy on the gate. He took my vouchers and laughed that I must have eaten a lot crisps. Once in we set off up the hill to the ruins of the ...  Read the complete review