Dolphins at Durlston Castle (Durlston Castle)

Member Name: Nat999

Product:	Durlston Castle
Date:	23/04/01 (468 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful Views

Disadvantages: A bit shoddy

The week before Easter in our local newspaper, the Bournemouth Advertiser, a featured advertisement captured our imaginations in an instant. The advert was for Durlston Castle and that there had been record sightings this month of dolphins, sometimes up to nine and including a new baby!

Dolphins, of all things! I did not know that there were dolphins off the Dorset coast! And the first thing that entered my mind was 'Oh yeah - record sightings. A record maybe 'cos there was now one sighting and previously there had never been anyway at all!'

Nevertheless, in spite of our scepticism, on Easter Sunday we drove out to Durlston Castle to see what we could see.

Durlston Castle is an old castle (obviously) from the late 1800's situated in the Durlston Country Park just outside Swanage in Dorset. The drive itself from Bournemouth to Swanage is amazing. Once you have crossed on the ferry from Sandbanks in Poole to Studland the surroundings are really very unspoilt. And for those of you, who might enjoy such things, Studland Beach is a naturist beach. The village of Swanage is very quaint, but here I must issue a warning. Already, in this early stage in the tourist season, the village is heaving with tourists and driving through the High Street is hazardous to say the very least.

Once we arrived at the castle there was a fair bit to see and do:

1. Firstly the castle itself. To my untrained eye, the Castle appeared to be in a relatively poor state of repair. The renovations that had been done looked shoddy, amateurish and cheap. I had the feeling that a lot of money needed to be spent on the place in order for it to be restored to its former glory. A bit sad really

2. A mini museum which shows some local history and fossils. It is advertised as 'mini', but really it should be described as tiny.

3. A 40 ton granite globe of the world. This is a masterpiece of Swanage eccentric
George Burt, which was built at his uncle John Mowlem's masonry works in Greenwich. This is most impressive to see, but some of the writing on the globe itself and surrounding walls has worn thin and is difficult to read.

4. Rock climbing along the Lighthouse cliffs. I can't really comment on the facilities here as I am not a climber, but to my untrained eye, the cliffs looked enough of a challenge.

5. The Tilly Whim Caves. As far as I could make out, these caves were used for the landing of goods from the sea to the land. The name Tilly Whim comes from a worker (Tilly) and a crane they used for their working (a Whim). Unfortunately these caves are closed now, due to rock falls in the 1970's, but still they provide an air of mystery and romance.

6. A bar, which had the smell of authentic wooden fires and would appear to be quite cosy on a cold winters day. We didn't stop for a drink here though I cannot comment on the overall service and quality of drink.

7. A restaurant offering a carvery. The carvery meal was OK, but I am afraid to say, nothing to write home about. I had the feeling that everything was very much unorganised and understaffed. The staff that were there, appeared to be flustered and not sure what they were supposed to do. There was a general feeling of chaos in the restaurant and I certainly didn't walk away feeling refreshed and at peace.

8. An informal self-service restaurant which was closed. A bit odd really, seeing as it was such an important tourist day?

9. Walks along the cliff coastline. I must say that this was by far the most impressive part of the afternoon. The views out to sea are spectacularly breathtaking. No, this is not an exaggeration! The path along the cliffs is very good, a doddle for any hikers, but good for a Sunday afternoon stroll for the rest of us. Take binoculars with as you can spend hours gazing down into the sea, to the driver's
boat anchored below, the circling birds, the birdlife on the actual cliff and of course for the famous dolphins.

Although we spent a fair few hours on the coastline path we did not see any dolphins, but we were assured that only the day before they had been there. How awesome for the drivers if the dolphins did come out to play! We gleaned a few tips for successful dolphin watching while we were there:

· The best months are December, April and May.
· The best time of the day is 2 hours before high tide
· A flock of circling seagulls is often an indication that the dolphins are about. Perhaps the gulls know that where the dolphins are, the food is!

Because of the Foot 'n Mouth crises, there were a few paths closed and we had to walk over disinfectant mats, but there was still more than enough to keep you occupied for a entire morning or afternoon.

On the whole we had a fantastically restful and peaceful day. We will definitely be back for the dolphin watching, this time following the tips above.

I have rated this producted very highly, because the views are quite simply stunning, but also because it is the only place in Dorset that I know of where one can watch out for Dolphins. And one final note, if there are any dolphins out there, this is the place you will see them. You can see for miles from the cliffs.

Costs
Ferry fee - £2.20 per car each way
Carpark at Durlston Castle - £3.00 for the whole day
Carvery - £5.95 approximately

Summary: