We're going where the sun shines brightly, we're going where the sea is blue, we've seen it in the timetable, now let's see if it's true - to paraphrase dear old Sir Cliff.
So begins the annual pilgrimage to the Dorset coast and riding the ‘more’ Breezer network. In 2024 the network consists of six routes: 30 Swanage to Weymouth; 31 Wool to Lulworth; 40 Poole to Swanage; 50 Bournemouth to Swanage; 60 Rockley Park to Sandbanks and 70 Rockley Park to Mudeford.
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Rather than start in chronological order let’s begin with probably the most popular and best-known route: the 50. A year-round service operating half-hourly for most of the day from 7am until 11pm. Most of the passengers tend to travel from Bournemouth to Swanage in the morning, returning in the opposite direction from early afternoon. In summer the route is operated by semi open-toppers making the top deck extremely popular. To bag a prime seat (top-deck front, under cover) on an early departure, it is best to board at Bournemouth Railway Station. 14 minutes later the bus arrives at Bournemouth Square which in recent years was home to the battle of the oldies as concessionary passholders fought to board, and it made headlines in the national press. The bus continues ducking-and-diving through local residential roads before reaching Sandbanks, home to some of the most expensive residential properties in Britain. For many visitors, especially those from overseas, the next part of the journey is the most exciting as the bus boards the Sandbanks ferry to cross the mouth of Poole Harbour and then continues along the Studland peninsular and into Swanage, terminating in front of the Swanage Steam Railway station.
First Bus WYY 752 (W806 EOW) a Volvo B7TL with Alexander body about to depart Swanage Railway Station on service X50 to Weymouth.
Swanage railway forecourt is one of two hubs for the Breezer network, the other being Poole. Swanage is also the departure point for the only competition on the Breezer network, with First Bus competing against Breezer 30 with its four times a day X50. Departing 5 minutes ahead of the 30 and taking a slightly longer and more in-land route to arrive in Weymouth 15 minutes after the 30. Jurassic Breezer 30, to give it its full marketing name, is operated by Go Ahead more and at its peak, eight round trips a day are made with three of the journeys continuing from Weymouth to Dorchester. Taking 1 hour 50 minutes end to end, the route starts with a fast run along the A351 to Corfe Castle, a call into Purbeck Park (Norden Station on the steam railway), then travelling through Wareham High Street to Wareham Station. Before heading west, the bus returns to Wareham High Street and then heads for another railway station, this time it’s Wool, which surprisingly turns out to be a popular boarding point with visitors wanting to get to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. The 19-minute section of the journey between Wool and Lulworth Cove is supplemented by eight times a day Breezer 31. This long, narrow, twisting downhill section of the route turns in the Lulworth Cove car park, with a short layover before commencing the long uphill climb to Durdle Door, undoubtedly the most scenic section of the entire route, although the final few miles along the A353 into Weymouth are also worth the trip. This being a seasonal service, the buses used on the route are towards the end of their working life and lack many modern refinements, which may for some make the trip something of an endurance test.
Back at Swanage, the third Breezer route departing from the station forecourt is the 40, a year-round service to Poole, operated by Go Ahead ‘more’ Swanage depot with Volvo/MCVs being the mainstay. The timetable is hourly between 6am and midnight. Unlike route 30, the 40 leaves Swanage on the B3069 climbing up through Langton Matravers to give views over the coast and countryside to the Isle of Wight in one direction and Corfe Castle in the other, before descending via two steep double bends onto the A351 and heading for Wareham. From Wareham to Poole the route becomes a more traditional bus service, deviating of the main road to serve two large holiday parks, local schools and the large residential areas making up the Poole suburbs, before arriving into Poole bus station.
Go Ahead South Coast more YBZ 224 (HJ02 HFC). Volvo B7TL, East Lancs CO45/31F. Photographed in Bournemouth Square during a driver change over on the long Breezer 70 service.
Poole bus station is the second ‘hub’ for the Breezer network. Route 60 Rockley Park to Sandbanks; 70 Rockley Park to Mudeford and the aforementioned 40 from Swanage. The 60 and 70 both start from Rockley Park, a very large caravan site on the edge of Poole Harbour. Both bus services cross Poole Harbour bridge giving fine views of the inner harbour and town quay before travelling through the old town to the bus station. The 60 continues around the harbour to Sandbanks giving views of the natural scenery and the front gardens of many expensive homes. The end-to-end journey time is 50 minutes and operates hourly, interspersed with hourly short workings between Sandbanks and Poole bus station. The 70 on the other hand is the longest by end-to-end time of all the routes, taking 2 hours 25 minutes and is the only route to operate entirely within an urban area. Leaving Poole, the bus takes a convoluted route through the residential areas close to the shoreline before dropping down to Branksome Chine and eight minutes later Alum Chine and reaching Bournemouth 50 minutes after leaving Poole. Dramatic views start to appear of the coastline and Isle of Weight as the bus climbs out of the town centre and onto the cliff overdrive heading for Boscombe. After a short inland diversion, the bus drops down to Boscombe Pier before rejoining the cliff overdrive all the way to Hengistbury Head. From there, it is inland through Christchurch before briefly returning to the coast at Mudeford. Then the route heads inland before terminating at the large Hoburne Naish holiday caravan park. Quite some ride bearing in mind that both the 60 and 70 are operated by fully open-top double-deckers, well past their first flush of youth and with the top deck structure removed they tend to flex and creak, making for a choppy ride.
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The Breezer network is a great way to access this wonderful part of Dorset. Combine Breezer routes with normal scheduled services from Go Ahead more and Damory, and you get a series of circular journeys taking you inland through some outstanding scenery with plenty of time to hum along with Sir Cliff.
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