Day 2 in Dorset

There was a little local newspaper in the Dorset house that mentioned a Forage Fair on the Isle of Purbeck where we had decided to spend our second day so we went to check it out.  It was pouring down rain but the car park was full to overflowing and people were pouring out of their cars, donning their rain gear and putting up their umbrellas.  I guess the Brits don't let a little rain stop them.  People were demonstrating bronze age ore smelting techniques as seen in the picture above, sword fighting, dry stone wall techniques.  In spite of the rain it was fun.  We had a roasted deer sandwich for lunch and I talked to the RSPB person a bit about my favorite ospreys.

Then we moved on to Corfe Castle an impressive ruin on top of a tall hill.  Once it was apparently whitewashed during the reign of King John and must have been truly impressive.  Like a lot of the ruins in Britain this one was blown up during the Civil War in the 17th century.

We walked about a mile over a windswept hill to Old Harry Rocks, beautiful chalk cliffs. 

The Isle of Purbeck isn't really an island but rather a peninsula south of Poole Harbor. It's famous for the quarries that produce Purbeck marble.