Old Harry
Towards the end of our smooth passage from Portland to Poole we passed close by 'Old Harry', a very distinctive group of chalk stacks marking the beginning of Studland Bay. The stacks almost resemble a gathering of wise old men and women discussing an important matter.
As we passed by these chalky sentinels the entrance to Poole Harbour itself came into view guarded by the chain ferry shuttling between Sandbanks and Studland. Nikki timed her approach to pass safely and before long Distant Drummer had dropped anchor a few hundred yards off the south shore of Brownsea Island in the rather alarmingly named ‘Blood Alley Lake’. In fact, we were sort of between Blood Alley and Whiteground ‘lakes’. They are not really lakes but form part of the enormous expanse of water that is Poole Harbour which is purported to be the second largest natural harbour in the world. As we clambered up the steep path away from the beach DD looked quite remote.
Anchored off Brownsea Island
Few boats ventured past our anchorage during our stay due to the shallowness of the water. In fact, at low tide, we completely dried out and were able to inspect the undersides of the hull which was when we discovered a ball of bright orange fishing net attached to our newly fitted port propeller! No harm done; and it was soon removed with the aid of scissors and a sharp knife. It did explain our lack of manoeuvrability on that side and our slightly higher than normal fuel consumption.
Despite its close proximity to the mainland, Brownsea is starkly different in terms of its wildlife and history. Red squirrels thrive in the woodland, although they evaded our best efforts to spot them so we acquired 'Scout' a souvenir from the coffee shop at Brownsea Castle.
A young viking named 'Canute' is supposed to have used the island as his base prior to attacking the town of Wareham. In later years a small village named Maryland supported a community on the northern shore although now just a few piles of bricks are all that is left.
Brownsea is also the spiritual home of the scouting movement. Robert Baden Powell's first ever scout camp is still used to this day.
