3 days / 2 nights.
Approximately 7 hours sailing from Portland to west side of Brownsea.
Give way to chain ferry at entrance to Poole harbour.
Visitor fees for Poole Harbour.
Visitor fees for Brownsea Island (National Trust members free).
Shopping, cafes and pubs in Swanage.
We did this trip May 29th – 31st 2024.
Brownsea Island
A careful trip between the moored boats along the shallow channel to anchor close to Pottery Pier on Brownsea Island. Holding was excellent in heavy clay/mud, windy but flat water.
Access to Brownsea is free to National Trust members, until dusk or 8 pm, which ever is earliest. We landed on the beach immediately to the south of the pier. Beautiful quiet evening walk around the island, we saw deer, pheasants, rabbits, a red squirrel, some ducklings and an oyster catcher. I followed the stone spiral path at the Pier, before heading up steps to walk to the remains of the village of Maryland, a swing bench and part of the sensory trail in Cambridge woods before continuing clockwise around the island, past the Scout stone, the amazing views over Studland beach to Old Harry Rocks, past the farm buildings after which we saw the squirrel and heard the cacophony of sea birds over by the lagoon before returning to the sensory trail with a rest on the forest canopy view chairs and the pier. The tide had retreated some distance leaving a tricky drag of the tender over pottery shards to get back afloat.
Swanage
Anchored on edge of no anchor zone to visit the town, get lunch and some shopping. Most other boats choose to anchor at the north end of the bay.
3 mile (each way) walk along coast path to Old Harry Rocks, great views to the Isle of Wight and back towards Poole Harbour, Brownsea and Studland returning via a slightly more inland route.
There’s more to do in Swanage but that will be another trip.
Back on Larksong the sea looked tempting for a swim but we decided to head on to Chapmans pool.
Missing the inner passage past St Albans Head
So the 6th passage past St Albans head….
After 5 uneventful trips the decision was made to try the inner passage. There was a significant current pulling out into the shoals. We miss judged it and ended up further out than the passage. The boat got very wet and I now know it is a lot stronger than the crew. The attachment of the tender to the boat is also worth doing properly. The fuel hose to the petrol tank for the outboard is also attached extremely well and prevented a minor environmental disaster as it was caught around the oars preventing the tank, which was in the sea from escaping. It also made a useful handle to pull the tank back in, as did the mizen sheet for the other hand.
Needless to say the leisurely swim and still waters of Swanage now seemed even more tempting and some learning has been gained.
Chapmans Pool
A bumpy night, no wind but uncomfortable swell. Tried using the reefed mizen to keep the boat pointing into the wind to limit rocking with limited sucess.
Mudstone ammonites and land slides.
In the morning we landed on the slip way before a short 3 miles round walk (lots of steps) along the coastal path to the National Coastwatch lookout post at St Albans head. Marines monument.
Plenty of wind for the return trip to Portland Marina
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