Then the following weekend was our semi-annual (when someone gets round to organising it) Dorset tour – this year highly capably organised by David, who the rest of the side have now concurred should have the role for life. The weekend was based at an excellent campsite just outside Langton Matravers, and started at the far end of Swanage Pier, much to the bemusement of pier strollers, fishermen, and a big pleasure boat outing which docked during our first dances. Nevertheless it was a great setting on what turned out to be a beautifully sunny day. And it was a great pleasure to see our recent joiner Tom along for the weekend and performing for the first time with us, even though his white trainers were unfortunately not in Swanage along with him – however after starting the day in black trainers he was able to sort out a white pair at lunchtime. It also featured the full public debut of our new/old melodeon musician Roy, who after many months of practice knew many of the notes of many of our tunes. After a few dances at the far end of the pier came a lengthy procession along the length of the pier, after which some seats opposite each other at the near end provided good rest opportunities during each half of Highland Mary.
The tour than moved on to Durlston Country Park and Castle, with excellent dancing opportunities against a spectacular seascape background. Then after the traditional evening campsite barbeque came the David’s trip highlight, and indeed the whole raison d’être for the tour’s base – the evening walk along a footpath giving distant views of the sea to the Square and Compass pub at Worth Matravers. There we found an appreciative audience, and unlike on our previous dancing visit there some 15 years earlier, no animals were harmed during the evening’s entertainment.
The next day the tour reconvened in Salisbury, for dancing at the Museum and later with the imposing splendour of Salisbury Cathedral as a backdrop. It’s doubtful the gargoyles at the top had seen a good coconut dance down below for many hundreds of years (who said they still haven’t?).
