Meet your Tour Manager today at Waterloo station in London, travelling in Standard Class to Bournemouth. Here, you transfer to your hotel.
On Day 2, transfer to the Swanage Railway, where you enjoy a short rail journey to Corfe. Originally opened in 1885, this delightful heritage railway traverses through the beautiful scenery of the Isle of Purbeck. The line is only 6 miles long, yet it fits in a lot of scenery in this time. One of the most lasting images of this line is as it passes under the ruins of Corfe Castle, as well as cutting through the gently undulating countryside of the south coast. Your time in Corfe is free.
The incredible ruins of Corfe Castle are well worth a closer look, with its ancient walls telling of some of the major events to occur throughout the history of Britain. Originally, the castle was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England. It continued to be a royal castle until the Tudor times, when Elizabeth I passed it on to Sir Christopher Hatton, and it was besieged during the English Civil War, with the defence of the castle led by the wife of Sir John Banks.
The castle was the last royalist hold in the south, and unfortunately fell in 1645, then ruined by order of Parliament. All that remains of the mighty fortress today are a few thick stone walls, but the atmosphere of the place, and the views that it gives over the village and surrounding countryside, make the castle well worth a visit.
- Day 1 - Dinner
- Day 2 - Breakfast, Dinner
