I posted some photos from the first day on my holiday a few days ago but I've still got plenty that I want to share. These photos were all taken on the Sunday when Martyn and I headed to Corfe Castle on the Swange Steam Railway.

The line from Swanage to Corfe Castle was closed in the 70s but a group of enthusiasts have worked hard to re-lay the tracks and restore the train stations along this line. You can read more about the history of the line here. The train engine we had that day actually came from South Wales and used to transport coal from the pits to Barry Docks.


Towering over Corfe Castle station were the magnificent ruins of Corfe Castle, it was certainly an impressive sight. One of my favourite views appeared on my old commuter line, the Rhymney Valley line. I loved leaving Aber station and being able to see wonderful views of Caerphilly Castle and this reminded me of that.


Corfe Castle was built by William the Conqueror, the castle dates back to the 11th century. It was one of the first to be built of stone instead of wood. In 1572 Elizabeth I sold the castle to Sir Christopher Hatton and Lady Mary Bankes, led the defence of the castle when it was twice besieged by Parliamentarian forces in 1643 and 1645. In March 1645 Corfe Castle was demolished on Parliament's orders and it is now owned by the National Trust.



The ruins were beautiful as was the surrounding town but the rain and wind meant that we couldn't take the long walk that we planned. We headed back on the steam train from Corfe Castle to Swanage and had an early night with plenty of pulled pork, tea and a good film. My pulled pork was lovely but using the holiday let oven which was super hot meant that the outside didn't fall apart as much as I had hoped but it still tasted divine.