I know the area surrounding Bournemouth and Poole pretty well as I have lived here for 16 years (plus another couple of years as a teenager), so when I spotted @cherriemayhem posting pictures on Instagram of a local beauty spot called The Blue Pool a couple of weeks ago I was intrigued as I had never heard of it.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and Living Social had a deal advertised on their site for entry and cream tea for two for £9……how could I resist, so on Wednesday we headed out to see The Blue Pool for ourselves.
The main attraction of the Blue Pool at Furzebrook is that it constantly varies in colour. Very fine clay in suspension in the water diffracts light in different ways, producing a spectrum of colour sometimes green sometimes turquoise. I certainly wasn’t disappointed by our first glances.
Set in a deep clay bowl, steps lead down to the waters edge or up to views of the Purbeck Hills but there are three paths to choose from and we chose the Red path as this was suitable for prams and wheelchairs. The Pool is surrounded by 25 acres of heath, woodland and gorse interlaced with sandy paths that seem to take you to another world, with lots of seating along the way if you need to stop for a rest.
Along the red route there is also a trail for the children to follow which has them looking for plastic squirrels in trees, but Eliza wasn’t interested. She wanted to run, explore and play. She was fascinated by all the Dragonflies and Damselflies we saw as they were such beautiful colours.
We also found three small children’s parks along the way which she insisted on exploring before we headed to the tea rooms for our Cream Tea. Although we didn’t buy lunch, I was impressed by the reasonable prices and Eliza’s Ice lolly was only 75p.
As I had the pram with me, I couldn’t manage any of the steps, but Daddy took Eliza off to explore whilst I had a sit down. They spotted Corfe Castle in the distance…..
and even some sandy beach down by the pool…….
but Eliza was more than happy balancing on logs, finding the next Giants bench, chasing Butterflies and exploring her new surroundings!
I cannot wait to go back and take the boys this time too…..they will love clambering up and down the more adventurous routes and climbing trees etc. They have a Fairies and Friends Festival on 11th August with lots of childrens’ activities to keep them entertained.
As well as the tea rooms, there is also a small museum where you can see the Wareham Bears plus a quaint gift shop selling some gorgeous locally made produce and gifts.
The Living Social Deal is still available (but only until midnight on 19th July), so grab it if you can here.
This place looks amazing! I have noted this one down for when the parents move! xx
Let me know and I will meet you there!!
What a stunning place to visit with lots of fun and exploring for the children. Thanks for linking up and sharing your lovely photos with Country Kids.
Never heard of it. So close too and looks great
Hubby apparently used to go with the school……he is useless for sharing knowledge!!