Day 55 Winchester 10 June 2018

Today, again under grey skies, but luckily no rain we journey across a three minute ferry ride to Purbeck Island from Bornemouth. Not really an island but more of a peninsula attached to the mainland. We could also see Brownsea Island, where Lord Baden-Powell conducted he first scout camp that spread throughout the world.

When Queen Victoria visited the local area, they changed the name of the River Piddle because they thought it might offend her.  After she died they changed the name back.

Our first stop was Corfe Castle. This was a Norman castle built by Henry I, William’s son.

When we arrived there was a falconry display that was quite good and very informative. From our vantage point we could also see the local steam train that seemed quite popular.

One of the highlights was the Bovington Tank Museum. There were just so many armoured vehicles. Some of the highlights were the extensive Tiger collection, including an Elephant, the Australian designed Sentinal tank that never saw action and captured Soviet tanks with Finnish colours and markings.

The Australian designed tank WW2 tank, only 65 produced.

They have over 100 vehicles that are being worked on or not on display.
You can see a German WW1 A7V like Memphisto.

The car park was interesting.

Traveling along the Weymouth Black Down we stop at Admiral Hardy’s Monument, 1844, the highest point on the Dorset coast. Unfortunately the view was somewhat obscured. Just imagine it is 1912 and King George V is reviewing the fleet of dreadnoughts. Fleet Lagoon was also used by 617 Dambuster Squadron in dropping prototypes of the Barnes Wallis bomb.  

Chesil Beach there for the last 15,000 years at the end of the last Ice Age. Sea action grades the gravel of the beach. A good spot for smugglers, assisted by offshore fog.