On a gorgeous Friday just before a long weekend and school holiday, we took advantage of the relative peace and quiet to see some sights around Poole Harbour. Our first stop was at the the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charitable organisation which provides most of the offshore rescue services for Britain and Ireland. Poole is the headquarters of the RNLI, and also hosts the training facilities, around which we took a tour.

We got to see all the various classes of lifeboat, the wave pool that can simulate a full blown storm for practicing how to deal with a capsized lifeboat, and also the simulator, where the boys and Susan got to try their hand at dealing with various mock catastrophes from the bridge of the boat.

Afterwards, we caught a ferry to Brownsea Island, a beautiful National Trust property in the middle of the harbour. It’s a required part of any Lyon family visit to Poole, and for good reason — glorious views across the harbour, peacocks, deer and red squirrels can be spotted, and a first rate adventure playground. Paradise.