What a treat this was! A 4×4 tour with Purbeck Safari. Fran and Jane Routledge welcome guests on a safari to explore the stunning Purbeck Hills aboard a Land Rover Defender.
Right from the beginning to the end of the tour, our family of four ranging from ages 9 – 75 years, thoroughly enjoyed our 2-hour safari with Fran. It was spectacular! If you are planning a visit to stay with us at our Dorset bed and breakfast, then we highly recommend it.
Fran collected us from our bed and breakfast. Our immediate thought was that Fran was very friendly and welcoming, and his Land Rover was spacious and comfortable. It was great to be travelling in elevated seats compared to our own car. Also, Richard loved the fact that he wasn’t driving on this occasion, and he could relax at the front and enjoy the scenery.
At the start of the tour when we passed the Saxon Walls of Wareham, Fran began by telling us all about the history of King Alfred the Great who commanded the walls to be built in 875 to defend the town from Viking invasion.
Having lived in Wareham for nearly 3 years and having researched local history myself, see our blog ‘Saxon Walls of Wareham’, there were some gaps in my knowledge which Fran filled.
The tour followed a mixture of public roads, lanes, old cross-country byways, and farm tracks. Once we had driven away from Wareham, the gateway to the Isle of Purbeck, we headed across the water meadows onto the Arne peninsula to explore the beautiful lowland heaths.
Fran has lived with his wife Jane in this beautiful part of Dorset for over 30 years, having moved here from London just after they were married.
It was obvious whilst listening to him on the safari how passionate and fond he is of living in such a beautiful part of the country, as we are too.
He was extremely knowledgeable about local history, geology, fauna, people, local industry, the diverse wildlife, as well as farming. His explanations were targeted to all age ranges in our family, and he happily answered any questions.
By far our favourite part of the safari was when Fran headed off-road, uphill onto the ridge, past the grazing cows and their baby calves and parked up above the magnificent Corfe Castle.
The weather was just perfect. We could see a panoramic view of Poole Harbour, the village of Corfe, and the stunning Purbeck countryside.
Wow what a view! Spectacular. I think we were buzzing from that view for days afterwards too. Binoculars and cameras are a must!
From there, when we thought that it couldn’t get any better, Fran took the winding road to the village of Kingston and then out on to the ridge line at Heaven’s Gate. Sitting on the bench there was breath-taking. The world heritage ‘Jurassic coastline’ was before us, and the visibility was perfect.
We never felt rushed at any point on the safari to move on. Fran was happy for us to take photos and while away time at certain viewpoints. Our 9-year-old son particularly enjoyed running around freely on the wide grassy ridge above Corfe Castle like a child from ‘Heidi’. I would have joined him myself too if I hadn’t had been so preoccupied with taking photos for this blog! Ha, ha!
I would also like to add here that although we were off-road and it was a little bumpy and uneven at times, we did not get thrown around. We all felt very safe throughout the whole safari in Fran’s hands. It was superb to get to places hard to find, and which we certainly couldn’t have explored in our own car.
The safari which we chose was the 2-hour Arne and Kimmeridge one. Fran also has a slightly longer safari which lasts 3-hours. Tea, coffee, and home-made cake is supplied on this tour. (Yes please, next time!)
At the time of writing, on his website he also offers an evening ‘Nightjar Forest Walk’ (2 hours) in July and August, as well as a ‘Hill, Heath and Orchard Safari’ (2.5 hours). The latter tour takes you to a Dorset Cider Farm, where you can wonder through the orchards and enjoy free tasters.
Of course, if you would like a 4×4 tour with Purbeck Safari to be a surprise for a wedding, anniversary, or birthday gift, why not take advantage of the ‘Purbeck Safari Gift Vouchers’ on their website.
A perfect day out!
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