Nice set of Dorset pictures

[DrDark]

no pictures of Polly, but what a gorgeous area.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogersg/se ... 949374761/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DrDark]

More interesting stuff.

"The West Country accent is probably most identified in American English as "pirate speech" – cartoon-like "Ooh arr, me 'earties! Sploice the mainbrace!" talk is very similar. This may be a result of the strong seafaring and fisherman tradition of the West Country, both legal and outlaw. Edward Teach (Blackbeard) was a native of Bristol, and privateer and English hero Sir Francis Drake hailed from Tavistock in Devon. Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta The Pirates of Penzance may also have added to the association. It has also been suggested that Westcountryman Robert Newton's performance in the 1950 Disney film Treasure Island may have influenced people's preconceptions of what accent a pirate "should" have."

from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Country_dialects" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

lots more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[yotpan]

It looks really beatiful, indeed...May i ask something stupid?..for some unknown reason it seems to me that people don't swim into that sea...do they?

[cat on the wall]

Wow some of the nicest ones I've seen & they're color!

[Hell and High Water]

It looks really beatiful, indeed...May i ask something stupid?..for some unknown reason it seems to me that people don't swim into that sea...do they?

Not so stupid really, I couldn't find a definitive answer. I was hoping that someone else would know.

My first thought would be that it's too cold, but I believe the ocean temperatures there are affected by the Gulf Stream, a current of warm water that makes the climate much warmer in areas like Scandinavia. But "warm" relative.

I think people do swim, there, but probably only during the warmest summer months.

Anyone?

[bluesman]

Betcha these guys could answer your question http://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/index.php?p=home" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"The water is clean but there are strong currents and care should be taken when swimming"

Top 50 places to swim outdoors

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/feature ... doors.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"COASTAL COVES AND BEACHES"

4 Burton Bradstock
Dorset (SY 482890)

"Fossil hunters patrol this stretch of Jurassic coastline where crumbling cliffs still reveal ancient treasures. Two miles from Bridport, a long pebbly and sandy beach leads down to the gleaming blue water. Just the place for a relaxing swim after a prehistoric morning."

[sau]

Yes, people do swim at Durdle Door. I saw some people go down to the beach when I was down there for the Camp Bestival gig. A few years back someone got seriously injured jumping/Tombstoning from the top of Durdle Door. Yes, from the top. Apparently, there are places on the Door where trees used to grow millions of years ago. I guess swimming goes on at Lulworth Cove too.

There is a very narrow road - picturesque is the word - which goes all the way down to the Cove, where there is a little jetty for the fishing boats. I made sure I had the 'White Chalk' album playing as I drove down the road to Lulworth. So beautiful to see the sea peeping out fom between the hills. Sunny; calm, very blue sea. Search for images of 'Lulworth village' to get an idea of the place.

There is a legend that the ghosts of Roman soldiers march in the area.

Good looking site about ancient history of Dorset:

http://www.francesca-radcliffe.com/dorset.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Stone from Portland was used in the construction of St. Paul's Cathedral. Have a look at a map of Dorset; some wonderful place names.

[DrDark]

This is what the Pacific ocean looks like near me (on a foggy day):
http://www.noehill.com/sonoma/local_son ... _beach.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The water is so cold you have to wear a wet suit if you're in it for more than a few minutes. There are sleeper waves that take people in, especially if you're out on a rock. You have to be exceedingly careful here.

[Pollyphoniac]

here, I'll try to outstrip those lovely Lulworth images by taking the high ground; by showing some views from top of the Golden Cap, one in each direction along the coast:








I scaled the Golden Cap myself in July, the highest point of land along the south coast of England, so I can vouch for the quality of the view: which simply cannot be captured well enough in photographs like these.