What's That Sound?

The local newspapers and radio have been discussing the local phenomenon known as the 'Swanage Hum' this week , the Dorset Echo picked up on the story. It would seem however that it isn't a new news item, if you follow as this online article shows. Well this weekend I heard the hum and very strange it was too.

Now I have to be honest in that despite visiting the Isle Of Purbeck every Saturday this year, including two visits to Swanage, I hadn't actually heard the noise in Swanage itself. Walking the Purbecks there are various other noises to contend with, the gentle lapping of waves on the shore, the engines of fishing boats returning to port, the sound of artillery fire as the British and German armies take part in war exercises - they've been exercising for so long now they should be perfect when they go fighting for real, the loud mooing of cows and the aarrrgghhhh sound of Geography teachers falling to their deaths from cliff faces as they show children how not to walk the South West Coast Path. Okay that last one was a bit sick, but it happens.

Anyway back to the 'hum'. In my experience it's like a deep voice humming very loudly, at first I thought it was a hearing problem on my part, but then I realised it wasn't in my head so to speak but actually outside of my head and indeed outside of the house. Of course the noise could be anything, as both articles explain, and it's not far across the water from Christchurch to Swanage, on a clear day you can see one from the other so perhaps the sound is emanating west of Swanage and travelling across Poole Bay. As they say, the truth is out there!