It was a gloriously sunny December morning and Saturday, which is life skills day. Charlie and Noemi were chosen to take Allen and Joe out for lunch.
'What shall we do, where shall we go? ' they thought?
Now anyone who knows these four well enough knows Noemi is always up for a Saturday adventure and Charlie is not one to miss out on a spontaneous outing. Joe, furthermore, is a passionate Sandbanks Ferry fan and Allen on this particular day was very content in joining the fun and taking in the scenery.
So into the little white car they hopped and excitedly typed the words Sandbanks Ferry into Google maps. Joe's face was beaming, perhaps competing with Mr Sun in the sky! Allen was joyfully flicking through his chosen magazine for the day, open to whatever this journey might bring.
There was one little problem. There was barely any petrol in the little white car. So as excited as everyone was to glide across the water to Studland, they had to stop at the petrol station. Would Pete's credit card work? Phew! Thankfully it did, so there was no stopping this eager bunch. Off they rolled, with the sparkling sea and the glorious ferry as their next stop.
Up they chugged slowly and steady onto the vehicle that would transport them to the other side. The sea breeze was refreshing, the sun warming their faces. The water lapping at the side of the boat, guided them safely to the Studland shore. Down they rolled to see where this road would lead them, deliberately not choosing a destination but leaving it up to this beautiful life, to show them where they would stop for lunch.
Following the windy roads and enjoying the gorse bushes and sea views, they decided to turn left and see if there was a place there to stop for lunch. They arrived at a beautiful cottage looking place with a sign outside saying 'The Pig'
Charlie said, how about this one? Noemi had a vague recollection that this was a very very posh place with potentially very posh prices, but in the name of adventure they decided to investigate. There was no harm in taking a glance at the menu. The hotel/ restaurant offered the most breathtaking views onto the Purbeck and a roaring fire surrounded by cosy armchairs. The menu on the other hand offered steak for £95!!!! Or a handful of kale for £15? Nope, they thought and the search for a pit stop continued.
Not far down the road from The Pig stood the Bankes Armes, not quite as exquisite looking, but still with a sense of charm and character. Perhaps the little white Barn car agreed as it stopped literally in front of the building and the gear stick would not budge. Not forwards not backwards. Oh yikes, are we going to end our adventure here, so teasingly close to our destination?
With a bit of hope and prayer and fiddling with the gear stick and keys the little white car came to its senses and was soon safely parked in the South Beach car park, allowing the hungry four to recharge their batteries. Fish and chips, sausages and mash, chicken pie and wild mushroom risotto were on the menu here and all of that for the price of one steak at the previous joint! So enjoying the blue of the water in the background and each other's company they munched until it was time to return to the car park as receiving a parking ticket was not on the itinerary that day!
The journey back involved no satnav, just following road signs, just allowing the road to lead the way, through beautiful Swanage and even allowing us a glimpse of Corfe Castle standing proudly on the hill, inviting us on perhaps another adventure at another time.
And would you believe it, we ended up back at the Ferry! Joe had no complaints whatsoever about going across a second time, while Allen grinned away still inspecting his magazine carefully.
By this time sundown had almost arrived and the sky above the water was a warm and cosy orange, wishing us farewell and thanking us for visiting this way and having had such a joyful time while doing so. At the end of the day, Joe asked if we could do this again another day? My answer was 'I wholeheartedly hope so!'
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