Dorset Belle Cruises - Poole Harbour, Dorset, UK
Posted by: 
Dragontree
N 50° 42.717 W 001° 59.164
30U E 571586 N 5618283
A popular scenic boat ride around Poole Harbour and beyond.
Waymark Code: WM4V64
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/30/2008
Views: 13
Dorset Belle is one of the boats which takes you on a beautiful cruise around Poole Harbour, Swanage, Bournemouth or the Isle of Wight.
The Dorset Belle website describes the history of the boat tours:visit link
'In 1868 the first recorded pleasure excursion from Bournemouth Pier was by the steamer 'Fawn'. She was chartered for a trip to Spithead, where a review of the fleet was being held in honour of the Shah of Persia.
Since 1871 there has been a long association between Bournemouth Pier and pleasure steamers.
The principal paddle steamer operator on the Wessex coast was Cosen's of Weymouth 1918-1996. Fond memories abound of Monarch, Empress and Victoria, just some of their fleet of paddle steamers that regularly called at Bournemouth Pier.
Many other local boats offering day trips and excursions also operated along the lovely Dorset coast, including the family of Dorset Belles built and operated by the Bolson family for many years at the Skylark Boatyard in Poole (now part of RNLI).
One of the first post-war boats Bolson's operated from the Pier was proudly given the name "Bournemouth Belle" and from then on the little fleet were affectionately nicknamed "the Dorset Belles" by the holidaymakers.
To this day the tradition of pleasure cruises from the pier continue to the delight of Bournemouth holidaymakers, along with regular seasonal visits by the paddle steamer "Waverley" and her motorised companion "Balmoral".
John King was the boat designer of the last 3 Dorset Belles. Poole Belle is now on the Firth of Forth and has been renamed Forth Belle.'
The scenic tours are described at the visit Britain website:
'Delightful sea cruises from Bournemouth, Swanage and Poole. Sail along the Purbeck coast, around the islands of Poole Harbour or enjoy a day in the Isle of Wight or exploring Brownsea Island. Opportunities to link up with Swanage Railway or visit various attractions. Stunning evening cruises with unforgettable sunsets. Bargain fares on all sailings, bikes carried free. Boats available for charter. Apr-Oct ferry from Poole to Bournemouth.'
Visit Instructions:
Rule ammendment as of 03-July-2008, you must have ridden on the boat ride to log a visit. Non-compliant visits prior to this date may be grandfathered at the discretion of the waymyark owner.
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