‘You could be in the Mediterranean': Why Swanage is the perfect seaside town

Telegraph

3 days ago

All summer, Telegraph Travel is taking the pulse of our most famous traditional seaside towns, examining the efforts being made to regenerate them, and reflecting on whether they are still worth visiting. This week, Teresa Machan visits Swanage
Professor Joe Burns is putting the finishing touches to his Punch and Judy stand on Swanage Beach. Hook-nosed Mr Punch, looking pleased as, relaxes in a director's chair upholstered in red and white-striped canvas (in keeping with the booth's stripey skirt).
'He's having a rest,' says Prof Burns. 'The season starts tomorrow.'
The first recorded Punch and Judy show on the beach in Swanage was in 1904. According to Burns, Dorset is the only county to have two full-time summer Punch and Judy shows – the second is in Weymouth.
I'm no expert, but any novice can see that this tassel-trimmed booth is a thing of beauty.
It was steam, the railway and the Victorian leisured class that led Punch from cities and touring fairs to seaside resorts like Swanage, on the Purbeck peninsula, a port and quarry town that became the 'queen of seaside resorts'.
Purbeck stone paved the floors of Roman villas, fortified medieval Corfe Castle, slabbed cathedral floors and was shipped in vast quantities to the capital.
Out-of-fashion architectural features came back as ballast for returning ships. Swanage is peppered with little bits of London, including bollards from Bloomsbury and a fish-topped weather vane from Billingsgate market. The Purbeck House Hotel has a tiled floor originally laid in the Houses of Parliament and an arch that once stood in Hyde Park.
There are so many listed buildings in Swanage (179 to be precise) it looks like the town caught English Heritage-marker measles.
Among them are the timber pier – rebuilt several times – and the 17th-century pub-come-fossil museum The Square and Compass in Worth Matravers.
There's a full summer schedule of passenger trips to and from Swanage Pier but there's a buzz about town because the teak-and-brass Waverley, the last-remaining sea-going passenger steam ship, will pay several visits this September.
Bronze plaques are nailed to the planks. Among the dedications I notice a common theme. 'Happy Place,' 'Happy Times,' 'Favourite Place'. This little seaside town has made a lot of people happy.
Back on the beach's buttermilk sand, Prof Burns tells me: 'There's no faded glamour here. No boarded-up shops, pissheads or the smell of weed.'
He points across a pedestrianised stretch of Shore Road to the folds of Ballard Down. 'It could be any decade. You can imagine the Victorians, picnicking up there.'
What's Swanage really like?
From the sea I saw kids crabbing, the spire of a clocktower, Victorian townhouses, a cliffside hotel, castle turrets, a stone obelisk poking up from pleasure gardens, some fine chalk stacks and a colourful medley of beach huts – all flanked by chalk headland and cradled by a swathe of Jurassic cliff.
Behind me, rowers paddled a wooden gig, the Tilly Whim, and there – across the Solent – lay the Isle the Wight. What a setting. The nightlife won't keep you up but, amusement arcades aside, Swanage is compact, walkable and near picture perfect. Furthermore, the friendly locals like tourists.
A sheltered, shallow bay, a lifeguarded zone, Blue Flag beach, steam railway and play areas hold obvious appeal for families – and it's easy to book a beach hut.
Good cafes, artisan shopping, yoga and Pilates on the pier, alfresco bars, and several decent restaurants give it multi-generation appeal. Plentiful water fountains help save money and plastic.
At Crave Beach Café, a hipster barista steamed an excellent cortado. Next door, at Swanage Bay Sauna, I ran from steam to sea and back again.
What's not to like?
Evenings are quiet – which is what attracts many visitors. Young and older are well catered for; teenagers less so.
Electric vehicle owners may struggle. There are two Open Charge POD charging points for residents and visitors and four charging bays – two in each of Main Beach and Mermond Place car parks.
Do this…
Peruse the tat-free independent shops and galleries for art and unusual gifts.
Visit The Purbeck Apothecary for tinctures, unusual and organic loose-leaf teas and immune-boosting 'Fire Cider'; Drift for tasteful seaweed art and edible seaweed spaghetti; Salt for foodie gifts and homewares and renowned chocolatier Chococo.
Drift, Chococo and other independents are on Commercial Road, a flower-filled pedestrian lane known as The Heart of Swanage. Here too, if you're self-catering, is the town's family-run fishmonger, Swanage Bay Fish.
Stroll the pier (adults pay £2.20) and board a vintage diesel or a steam train at Swanage railway station – complete with vintage luggage, porter trolleys, posters and signage – to the ruins of Corfe Castle.
After a day or two, turn your attention to the area's unmissable natural attractions (be prepared to walk up a few hills). Follow the coastal path west to Durlston Country Park or east to Old Harry Rocks and Studland Bay.
Visit the small museum at Swanage Lifeboat Station before heading up through the butterfly-filled meadows of Downs Nature Reserve to Peveril Point, where the National Coastguard lookout is open to the public.
Take a boat trip or go paddle-boarding or coasteering. For interesting commentary and to fully appreciate those dazzling chalk stacks, book a kayaking trip to Old Harry Rocks.
The UK's oldest diving school, Divers Down, is at the entrance to the pier and takes divers under the pier and to several wreck sites.
But don't do this…
Don't head out to sea in an offshore wind. If in doubt, ask a skipper or staff on the pier.
Avoid town-centre meters and head instead to one of two long-stay car parks.
Eat this…
Burnt Toast does a seriously good breakfast. Try the hash brown mash-up or build-your-own brioche.
The cakes and slabs of quiche at Love Cake are extraordinary and ditherers might like the 'cake board' selection (£10). For a gourmet picnic, pick up a Dorset Grazing Box.
For a beach-shack vibe with sand-at-your-feet views, head west along the beachfront to Burlington Chine, where Down the Beach serves chunky home-made fishcakes, calamari and falafel burgers.
For afternoon tea or pre-dinner drinks, climb the 81 steps (or walk up the road) from the beach at Burlington Chine to The Grand hotel. The conservatory offers the same view and is a good option in winter or summer.
For dinner, locals rate Smoke on the Water, The Narrows and The Salt Pig.
From a local
Richard Lester, assistant pier master (volunteer): 'I dreamed of retiring to Swanage and here I am, doing my dream job. We get several passenger boats a day during the summer and the big ones bring 500 people.
'I work with an army of volunteers and it takes eight of us to winch them in. We get about 12 or 13 weddings each year, too. People come from all over to see our dedication plaques on the boardwalk.'
Lorraine Love, owner, The Purbeck Apothecary: 'I moved here in 1998. I call it 'Swanalulu' because the sun always shines. It was my dream to have my own apothecary and chemist and the local community has really embraced it. Our 'tea-tasting Tuesdays' are very popular. I love walking in the countryside and ancient woodland around Swanage. I wouldn't live anywhere else.'
From a visitor
Tracy and Eddie Joyce from Harlow, Essex: 'Swanage is our happy place. We've been coming for 15 years. As soon as we see the rhododendrons and get that first glimpse of the sea we know we're 'home'.'
Trevor Pitt from Birmingham: 'We visited last year and decided to come back. It's our little discovery. Because Swanage isn't a through town you've got to make an effort to come here – I think that keeps it a bit special.
'Look at the view from the rooftop bar over there. You could be in the Mediterranean.'
Stay here
Deluxe sea-facing doubles at the Grand Hotel start at £248 including full breakfast. Sea-view upgrades from £20 per room per night. The YHA Swanage is housed in a sea-facing Victorian villa and has private rooms from £55. Nearby campsites include Tom's Field and California Meadows, which also has shepherd's huts.
Get there
The nearest mainline railway station is Wareham, for South Western Railway services to Waterloo. Swanage Station is the terminus of the heritage Swanage Railway branch line. National Express has a daily service between Victoria and Swanage.
Purbeck Breezer bus routes 30, 35, 40 and 50 serve Swanage. Car access is via the Sandbanks Ferry from Sandbanks/Poole to Studland or the A351 via Wareham.
Passenger trips to and from Swanage Pier in summer are operated by Coastal Cruises.