Day Trip to Corfe CastleYou can't think about Corfe Castle without talking about the history of the place. What I discovered during my research was that the castle is situated nearly in the centre of an area known as the Isle of Purbeck. This so called Island is located in the south east of the county of Dorset. The ruin of most castles is not due to the ravages of time but to the politicians, and the Castle fell victim and was ordered destroyed in 1646, after the Royalist garrison had surrendered following a lengthy siege. Even if the medieval structure were still intact today, it would be a very difficult building to figure out, especially with the many ad-ons to the architecture, not forgeting the structure had grown up over five centuries or more and had to adapt to a wide range of social issues.
The castle itself is built of Purbeck stone and the quarries of the celebrated Purbeck stone are situated in the Southern point of the island in the vicinity of Swanage, from here the stone are exported to every part of the county. I remember a having a picnic lunch with my wife on the slopes of the medievel castle grounds one summer's day, and looking towards Swanage a few miles away we could see in the distance the shimmering turquoise ocean. The flask of tea and sandwiches tasted really good that day, so I can say, memories do last a lifetime. We decided to stay in this very picturesque village, and found a very nice bed and breakfast at a reasonable cost. If you are touring by car, motorcycle or bicycle, you will see a few private B/B’s offered, just look for the signs which are generally posted in the front garden just like real estate signs. Also, there are many nice hotels to choose from in Swanage, Poole and Bournemouth which are quite close to the Island of Purbeck. Getting There: You can get to Corfe Castle from London by road quite easily. Get a good AA map of the South West of England and follow directions to Bournemouth in Dorset on the south coast, south west of London. The motorway 25 (M25) is basically a 200 mile ring road around London and suburbia. If you connect to the (M25) and drive South West, look for, and connect with the (M3). Take the (M3) to the City of Winchester and connect with the (M27) and continue to the (A31) Hwy. The (A31) Hwy takes you through the picturesque New Forest in Hampshire, then look for the (A35) which goes to Wareham and Corfe Castle in Dorset. Another option, which I like, is to take the train from Waterloo Mainline Station in London to Wareham in Dorset. When you get to Wareham, take the local bus into Corfe, you'll find the bus journey goes through some of the most beautiful and scenic areas of Dorset.
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