Ferries going to Brownsea Island depart from the quay at Poole Harbour.

After embarking I found a seat next to a lifering, just in case. Shortly after we set off on the 20 minute trip to the island.

On arrival at the island we paid for the ferry crossing at the entrance. There is also a landing fee for humans who are not National Trust members.

Before exploring I filled my tummy with a delicious oat and blueberry scone.

I posed for a photo with the bright red fire engine before setting off to look for red squirrels.

The trail for human children suggested doing a ‘Warrior’ pose to strengthen legs. As my legs don’t always hold me up very well, I had a go, and failed….

Further along there was a church with an interesting monument which I was safe to sit on as the hole in the middle wasn’t very deep. The church was built in 1854.

There are lots of woods on Brownsea, and rare red squirrels live there. We walked quietly through the woods hoping to spot one.

We ended up finding quite a few squirrels. They were very busy foraging for seeds and burying them. I sat quietly for a while to get some photographs.

We only had limited time on the island as we didn’t want to miss the last ferry back so continued walking around the paths.

Another photo opportunity next to a big tree!

There is a boardwalk that runs along the edge of the lagoon and ends at a hide. Unfortunately I didn’t get to do the entire walk as we were running out of time.

The tide was out when I got to the beach revealing all the seaweed on the shoreline.

The breakwaters on the beach were a tad difficult for a small bear to climb over.

When we were near to the ferry landing again, with ten minutes to spare, I climbed up on a wall to have a look at the lagoon.

I couldn’t see much on the wall so tried the giant binoculars, and could see some birds in the water.

The ferry to take us back soon appreared. The buildings on the left are holiday cottages that are let by the National Trust.

Once on the ferry I sat somewhere with a bright and colourful background for another photo!

Bye bye Brownsea Island…

I hope to visit again in the future and have a bit more time on the island. It is a lovely place and well worth visiting, though I don’t think it would be good if too many humans were to go there at once!

For more information see: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/brownsea-island

Horace the Alresford Bear 3/9/24