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Purbeck's largest town is the traditional seaside resort of SWANAGE , which sports a pleasant sandy beach and an ornate town hall, the facade of which once adorned the Mercer's Hall in the City of London and was brought back here as ballast on a cargo ship. The town's station is the southern terminus of the Swanage Steam Railway (April-Oct daily; Nov, Dec & late Feb to March Sat & Sun; GBP6 return), which runs as far as Corfe Castle and Norden (on the A351). For timetables, call 01929/435800, check at or pick up a leaflet from the tourist office. Swanage is also a good base for exploring Shell Bay , to the north, a magnificent beach of icing-sugar sand backed by a remarkable heathland ecosystem that's home to all six British species of reptile - adders are quite common, so be careful. At the top end of the beach, a chain ferry (daily 7am-11pm every 20min) crosses the mouth of Poole Harbour, connecting the Isle of Purbeck with Sandbanks in Poole. Swanage's tourist office is by the beach on Shore Road (Easter-Oct daily 10am-5pm; Nov-Easter Mon-Thurs 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-4pm; tel 01929/422885, ), and there's a youth hostel , with good views across the bay, on Cluny Crescent (tel 01929/422113, ). The numerous B&Bs in Swanage include a handy trio on King's Road near the train station, or try the Purbeck Hotel , 19 High St (tel 01929/425160; GBP40-50), which also has a decent pub. Swanage has a wide variety of places to eat , the best of which is the excellent Galley , 9 High St (tel 01929/427299; closed Mon except July & Aug), which specializes in well-prepared local fish dishes.
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