Swanage hotels and self catering cottage accommodation in Swanage

Dorset » Swanage accommodation

Located on the Isle of Purbeck, north of the Durlston Head, lies Swanage. The isle on which it sits used to be joined to the Isle of Wight, about 50,000 years ago, and evidence has been found of settlements dating back to the Middle Stone Age. A stone circle and burial site nearby were supposedly constructed during the Bronze Age by the Beaker people, and can still be spotted from the valley.

The Celts were the first to introduce local farming, nearly 3,000 years ago, much before the Romans could arrive here after invading Britain. A great number of ancient objects relating to these events have been found in the region. The 5th century saw numerous invasions by barbarian hordes, who devastated a great part of what the Romans had built.

A fishing and stone-shipping port, 19th century Swanage attempted to become the next popular resort, as Lyme Regis and Plymouth had done, and by the end of the century, especially with the arrival of the railway, it definitely succeeded. Thomas Hardy, who spent a winter here at the time, defined Swanage as a place where everyone "who was not a boatman was a quarrier".

A great place from which to discover the east side of the famous World Heritage Coastline, this beautiful, welcoming little town offers a wide bay, from which the Isle of Wight can sometimes be seen, good food and lodging and a haven for families and water sports enthusiasts. Also nearby is Studland, the country's most visited naturist beach, property of the National Trust.

On the Victorian Swanage Pier sits the Pier Museum, loaded with great information and exhibits on the local sea habitat and the types of animals and plants that can be found.