A Day Out at Blue Pool and Swanage Railway
During the last week of the school holidays, summer made a re-appearance and we made the most of the nice weather and enjoyed some local days out.
Isaac loves dragonflies and Bluepool in Wareham is one of the best places locally to find them.Ā The Pool is surrounded by 25 acres of heath, woodland and gorse interlaced with sandy paths, trails, playgrounds and fairy doors to find so is the perfect day out for all the family, with the promise of a cream tea or ice cream reward at the end.
The Blue Pool at Furzebrook constantly varies in colour. Very fine clay in suspension in the water diffracts light in different ways, producing a spectrum of colour sometimes green sometimes turquoise. In fact, it changed colour throughout our visit.
The pool is set in a deep clay bowl, with steps that lead down to the waters edge or up to views of the Purbeck Hills and even Corfe Castle in the distance.
The Sebastian and Eliza were determined to find all the fairy doors and complete the fairy trail challenge. There was a second trail to find woodpeckers and squirrels but some of them were hidden by the foilage so we found this harder.
Isaac on the other hand was determined to find dragonflies and was finally rewarded for his efforts by a magnificent golden one, which we think is a Downy Emerald.
We also found lots of brilliant blue damselflies, which are a nightmare to try and catch on camera!!
Half way around the trail there is a large play area with swings, slides, a roundabout and obstacles for the kids to try and cross.
At the end of the trail is a cafe which serves a selection of meals and cream teas. The kids wanted ice cream but it had been the bank holiday weekend and they had barely any left which was the only downside to the day, but our cream tea was lovely.
Whilst Bluepool is a lovely walk, it is not a full day out, so when we left we decided to surprise the kids with a second treat.
Norden Station is less than a five minute drive from Bluepool and is where you can catch the Swanage Railway train from here toĀ Corfe Castle,Ā Harmanās CrossĀ andĀ Swanage.
Not only were the kids super excited to be travelling on a steam train, they also got to travel in a carriage just like those in Harry Potter.
The train journey to Swanage takes about 45 minutes, including stops along the way.
The unique journey takes you through six miles of beautiful sceneryĀ passing the magnificent ruins ofĀ Corfe Castle, travelling down to the blue flag beach atĀ Swanage.
It is a really friendly line and the kids loved waving to everyone that stopped to watch the steam train go past.
Once we got to Swanage we headed for the beach which was still busy with holidaymakers enjoying the last few days of the holidays.
Because we had travelled quite late in the day we didn’t get to explore for long as the last train returned to Norden at 6pm, but we stop and play in the park, which offers spectacular views over the bay.
It was then time to head back to the car and this time we got to ride on a diesel train.
A Family return ticket on Swanage Railway costs from Ā£35. Keep an eye on their events page for their special days which include a Steam Gala in October and the Santa Express at Christmas.
Entry to Bluepool is Ā£7 per adult with children going free.
Disclaimer: I won tickets for Swanage Railway in the school raffle, so our travel for the day was free!
HodgePodgeDays
The Blue Pool looks stunning and a real wildlife haven, the railway also looks like a brilliant day out. What a great school raffle prize too š
Rhian Westbury
The fairy trail sounds like fun, I’d have loved that as a kid, and the cream scones look yummy, well deserved x
Angela Milnes
This sounds super fun and a great adventure. I think those scones look super tasty. Corfe Castle looks interesting, what a site to see. The train ride sounds super fun!
Super Busy Mum
This looks like such a great place to make memories in – great photos too!
Sophie's Nursery
Sophie would love the wildlife trails! Trying to photograph damselflies is so hard isn’t it lol – I had issues the other day & gave up in the end!! x
DJT @ Thinking Thrifty
Looks awesome. I can’t wait until my niece and nephew are older to appreciate this sort of activity a bit more.
five little doves
Ahh I love this! I have been there when I was younger! The whole day looks amazing but those scones caught my eye!! xx
Dean of Little Steps
That Corfe castle ruin looks amazing. How lucky that summer came back in your area before the kids went back to school. I’m afraid we weren’t as lucky as you guys š
Tanya Brannan
What a stunning looking place and look at those dragonflies! Just gorgeous. I love the fact that the steam train is so authentic. It is on my bucket list to go on a steam train, and this looks like it has the perfect destinations in Corfe Castle and Swanage x
Anosa
When I was young my brother and I used to love catching dragonflies, it was a hobby of ours. Sounds like you guys had a lovely time out as a family
Talya
What a gorgeous day out and just the thing we love to do – this is Britain at it’s very best and we are so lucky to have places like these to soak up!
Cass Bailey
That looks like such a grear day out – both are places that I’d love to visit x x
Erica Price
I love those sorts of nature trails – lots of fun and they learn something. It does make me feel old though that the carriages on that train are like the ones we used when we went on holiday in the 1970s.
Ana De- Jesus
This takes me back! When I was in year six we had an awesome trip to Swanage and I remember taking the railway. Isn’t Corfe Castle magnificent? x
Laura - Dear Bear and Beany
We had planned to go to Swanage and get the train to Corfe, but we just ran out of time over the summer holidays. It looks even better than I thought it would and I must try and squeeze in a trip over the next few weekends x
Mel
Aww this sounds like a lovely family day out! Super well done for winning tickets in a raffle!
The Moderate Mum
What beautiful shots, especially the nature shot – very impressive
Linsay
Looks like a great day out and the tea and scones look yummy.
Suzy McCullough
What a perfect summer holidays day out. Well done on winning the prize for the family ticket. What lovely scenery to ride through. The fairy trail sounds lovely. Jamie loves a nature trail as well
Stephanie
What a lovely family day, I love steam trains so would jump at the chance of a day out on there!
Emma
What a great family day out and the photos are so lovely! My two would love this!
Jazmin Williams
Oh wow, those photos are gorgeous – sounds like a fab family day out!
Fashion and Style Police
I can see the kids had a fab time. Lovely photos. Need to plan some activities for mid term. Thanks for inspiring.
Zena's Suitcase
Hasn’t it been glorious with the sun shining. Thank goodness it wasn’t raining so much at the end of the holidays and these look like fantastic days out
Purbeck Boy
It is a shame that the children didn’t go underground at Norden and ring the bell in the Purbeck Mining Museum. It is a totally different experience for all and worth a visit.
Kara
Will keep that in mind for next time – thanks for the tip