Seaside Day 2, morning...

Another day at the Seaside and another beach...

Day 2 saw us head out and about.

We took the chain ferry from Sandbanks over towards Swanage.

The weather was dully, cloudy, windy but at least it was dry!

The children were very brave and ventured to the top deck, it's a very quick hop across the water so we too had to be quick!  The chains and the engine were very noisy and neither Loopy or Fonzy liked that too much.

The ferry isn't free but is a bargainous adventure for the kiddo's not to mention the time it saves us in travelling around.

The sole purpose of our visit to Swanage was to ride the steam train and visit Corfe Castle.  The castle was destroyed by Cromwell's army back in the English civil war.

The steam train is run and funded on donations and volunteers and is just such a wonderful experience.

It really is like stepping back in time to when the pace of life was slower.

You get a really good view of the castle as you pull into the station

This is the first year in all the years we've done the steam train ride that we've actually got off to take a look around the castle.

 Parts of the ruins seem to just be hanging on the hillside

The walls were so thick, each stone so thick and heavy, the forces that must have been used to destroy it would have been ferocious

RV was like a mountain goat exploring all the places I couldn't get to with Fonzy and the pusher

Some of the views out over the hillside are tremendous, the castle would have had a view for miles around.

The station is kept in period and has a homely feel to it, the staff/volunteers were all lovely

The hanging baskets they had on display would have looked at home at RHS Chelsea, they obviously have a very dedicated team

After lunch in Swanage we had a wander around the shops and streets before heading back to car