As mentioned in my previous post, today is a special day, namely my birthday. It is Wednesday which happens to be the day of the week on which I was born: a fact that may enable you to work out my age! (No, I’m not going to give you the answer!)

We awoke to heavy rain though, according to the weather forecast, we can expect drier conditions later.

Caffè Nero
Photo by Tigger

By the time we set out, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. For breakfast, we came to the rotunda-shaped Caffè Nero.

Breakfast
Photo by Tigger

We each had one plain croissant and one strawberry croissant with our coffee.

Bus station

We need two buses and a ferry to reach Swanage. For the first bus, we went to Poole bus station.

Open top deck

We chose to sit on the open top deck. Pray for fine weather!

The harbour

We passed by the harbour and reached a district called Sandbanks where this bus terminates.

Bus on the ferry

The second bus starts by boarding the ferry. Unfortunately, any view is blocked by the ferry’s superstructure either side of the bus.

The other side
Photo by Tigger

On other side, the bus leaves the ferry and engages in a fairly long run through varied countryside to Swanage.

Approaching Swanage
Photo by Tigger

First view – Station Road

We arrived in Swanage at last and left the bus to walk along Station Road.

The Brook Tea Room
Photo by Tigger

After being buffeted bu the wind on top of the bus, it was a relief enter a quiet venue, the Brook Tea Room.

Cream tea

For “lunch”, we had a cream tea. This also served the purpose of my birthday cake 🙂

Walking on the pier

We went onto the pier. There is a small admission charge.

Views from the pier

We walked to the end of the pier. There were people fishing and people strolling like us. We found seats and stayed for a while.

Pretty fish
Photo by Tigger

Tigger photographed this pretty little fish in a tank in the pier gift shop.

Tea and toasted tea cakes

It started to rain so we went into the pier cafe and ordered tea and toasted tea cakes. It worked: when we emerged, the rain had ceased!

Shopping arcade

We walked through this shopping arcade. I somehow neglected to note its name.

A view from the bus

When we went for the bus, because there was a likelihood of rain, I didn’t want to sit in an open section. Tigger, though, wanted to sit upstairs. We were lucky: we were able to grab a pair of upstairs front seats which have a measure of protection from wind and rain. Even luckier: it did not rain after all!

Boarding the ferry

After a drive through the countryside, we reached the ferry and the bus ran onto it. The ferry pulls itself across by running along a massive chain.

Reaching the opposite shore

The ferry hauls itself across the water and then runs onto the hard surface of the slipway. Vehicles then drive off the ferry onto terra firma.

Sandbanks and Poole Harbour

We stayed on the bus until it reached Sandbanks. This is on one side of Poole Harbour which is one of the largest natural harbours in the world. We sat beside the water and watched the gulls while we waited for our bus.

The hopper

From Sandbanks, we caught a bus to Poole bus station and from there, a hopper which pursued a roundabout course but eventually dropped us off near our apartment. Here, we made tea and had a little rest.

Prospecting for supper

While we were having our rest, there was a thunder storm with heavy rain but fortunately, by the time we thought about going out for a meal, it had cleared up. We went out looking for a restaurant fairly near our apartment.

The Quayside

We went as far as the quayside without deciding for anything. As I fancied a curry, though, we plumped for an Indian restaurant near where we are staying.

Quay Spice

It is called Quay Spice and when we first saw it, I was not sure that it was even open as it seemed dark. Perhaps because it was only 7:30 (is 7:30 early for dining?) we were the only customers.

Inside Quay Spice

It was rather dark in the restaurant and the music (pukka Indian, as far as I could tell) was a little loud.

Side dishes

Rather than a traditional main dish each, we chose three side dishes and two rice dishes to share. The food was quite good and the service as attentive as it needed to be. Would we go there again? Maybe, if we pass this way again another year.

We didn’t have far to go to return home. We made tea and relaxed. That was my birthday this year. I wonder what next year’s will be like?