Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle dates back to about 1066 and the Norman invasion of England.  

 

 

 

 

It has plenty of history to enjoy, including arrow slits, oubliette dungeons and soaring walls,

 

 

 

 

medieval warfare equipment for children to try out 

 

 

 

 

and also a 1,000 year old murder mystery – who killed King Edward?

 

 

 

 

 

Swanage Railway

Corfe Castle sits next to the Swanage Railway line and you can see the trains steam past.

 

 

 

This full-size heritage railway operates a range of steam and diesel locomotives, as well as historic carriages.

 

Nearest Town: Corfe Castle, near Wareham
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH20 5EZ

Adult Cost Range: Free with National Trust membership. Various prices for non-members. Please see their website for details. 
Child Cost Range: Free with National Trust membership. Various prices for non-members. Please see their website for details. 
Free if: Under 5 years or with National Trust membership.

Opens: Various times throughout the year. Please see their website for details.

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic, try the cafe or one eat at one of the nearby pubs.
Facilities: Cafe, shop, snacks, ice cream, picnic area, toilets and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour.
Buggies: Some of the castle is buggy-friendly but there are also slopes, steps and narrow walkways in some areas.  

Parking: There are a few car parks to choose from, including a National Trust car park, as well as a few parking spaces in the village.
Cost of Parking: Varies depending on the car park you choose. The National Trust car park is free for members.  

Information Written: June 2022

 

The Sidings Play Area

The play equipment is based on Swanage Railway and Corfe Castle and has equipment including: 

• a locomotive to climb on
• a castle
• a climbing wall
• a slide
• climbing bars and
• picnic tables.

 

Swanage Railway

Swanage Railway is a full-size heritage railway that operates a range of steam and diesel locomotives, as well as historic carriages

 

 

 

that huff and puff you through old stations

 

 

 

 

to Swanage and the seafront and Corfe Castle. 

 

 

Nearest Town: Norden, near Swanage and Wareham
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH20 5DW

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic.
Facilities: Picnic tables, cafe, ice creams, snacks, accessible toilets and toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 30 minutes.
Buggies: Buggy-friendly

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: £4 per day. 

Information Written: June 2022

 

Swanage Railway

This full-size heritage railway operates a range of steam and diesel locomotives, as well as historic carriages

 

 

 

 

that huff and puff you through old stations

 

 

 

 

 

 

and railway memorabilia

 

 

 

 

 

 

to Swanage and the seafront and Corfe Castle. 

 

 

 

 

 

Devon Belle Observation Car

One of the historic carriages is the Devon Belle or Pullman Observation Car No. 14.

 

 

 

This has been used as an ambulance to transport wounded WW1 soldiers,

 

 

 

 

as a holiday observation car and also to tour the USA with the Flying Scotsman!  

 

 

 

 

The views from the Devon Belle are much better than the normal carriage. 

It currently costs an extra £3.50 per person.

 

 

 

The Railway Route

The steam trains puff along the 5.5 mile line between the stations at Norden 

 

 

 

Corfe Castle

 

 

 

 

Harmans Cross and Herston Halt

 

 

 

 

and Swanage. 

 

 

 

 

 

Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle sits next to the railway line. You can choose to steam on past or break your journey at Corfe Castle station, taking the short walk to the village and castle. 

 

 

 

Norden Station Play Area

The Sidings Play Area at Norden Station is themed on Swanage Railway and Corfe Castle and has equipment to climb on and explore. 

Nearest Town: Norden, Corfe Castle, Harmans Cross or Swanage, all near Wareham
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH20 5DW

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details. 
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details. 
Free if: Under 5 years

Opens: Various times throughout the year. Please see their website for details.

Where to Eat: Norden station, Corfe Castle station and Swanage station have cafes or you can bring a picnic.
Facilities: Various, depending on which station you are at. Please see their website for details.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour exploring Norden station and the play area.  Norden to Swanage is about a 25 minute train ride, one way.
Buggies: You can’t take buggies on the train but they can go into the Guard’s Van. 

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: £4 per day. 

Information Written: June 2022

 

Priest’s Way

The walk to Keates Quarry and the dinosaur footprints is an easy 3/4 of a mile along paths with sea views.

When you leave the Spyway car park head towards the sea and then turn right onto Priest’s Way in the direction of Worth Matravers. 

 

 

Keate’s Quarry

Along Priest’s Way you walk past a working quarry that is surrounded by stacks of stone.

This is limestone from the local area, which has been quarried for centuries, building places like Corfe Castle and Westminster Abbey.

 

 

“Dinosaur Tracks” This Way

A little way after the quarry you come to a gate on the right with a picture of a dinosaur and “Dinosaur tracks” written on it.

 

 

 

Keates Quarry is then just a short walk across the field.

 

 

 

 

Be sure to bring wellies!

It was very muddy when we visited and we had to make stepping stones to reach the gate.

 

 

 

Dinosaur Footprints

The fossilised dinosaur tracks are believed to have originally been made by Brachiosauruses walking on a lagoon’s beach.

Brachiosauruses were enormous plant eating dinosaurs that could grow to 30m long. They lived 145 million years ago at a time when Dorset was a tropical area covered in swamps, lagoons and forests.

 

The footprints are enormous!

We think we spotted baby dinosaur footprints too.  

 

 

 

 

Dancing Ledge and the Cliffs

From the Spyway car park you can also walk towards the sea and cliffs and then either walk down the coastal paths or just enjoy the beautiful views.

I understand you can also see Dancing Ledge, which is an area of cliff that has been quarried into a flat ledge and has a rock pool that was created for local school children. 

 

 

Scratched Arse Ware?

Sadly, we didn’t have time to explore the rest of Spyway and discover what Scratched Arse Ware is or see Dancing Ledge but I will update this post after our next visit.

 

 

 

Instead we drove for 20 minutes to Dorchester to see the Dinosaur Museum.

 

 

 

 

The Paths

When we visited, the paths ranged from smooth to muddy and bumpy. I used an all terrain buggy and think you might struggle with a normal buggy. 

Nearest Town: Swanage
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH19 3HG

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic. 
Facilities: None

How Long We Spent There: 2.5 hours
Buggies: I used an all terrain buggy without any problems, although I could not push it over the muddy fields. I think some of the paths might be too bumpy for a normal buggy.

Parking: There is medium sized car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Seabirds like puffins, shags, guillemots and sea gulls, cows and insects.

Information Written: February 2020