Trail information

The 18th century coast between Lymington and Poole was a wild and remote region. Christchurch was a poor market town where its inhabitants of mainly farmhands and fishermen were never far from poverty. In about 1770 a dark-haired young mariner with a thick Kentish accent sailed into Christchurch Harbour on board one of the many cargo vessels that plied the coast of Britain. His arrival would result in one of the most dramatic and violent events in the history of the town.

Join John Streeter, the most notorious of the 18th century Christchurch smugglers, as he takes you on a fascinating journey through time by recounting his memories of old Mudeford and other local smugglers - reckless ‘Slippery’ Rogers, business-like Isaac Gulliver and his White Wigs, motherly Hannah Seller of Haven House, and spirited Lovey Warne.

Audio trail

Bring this trail to life and hear from the smugglers who used to live in Mudeford! On each page of this digital trail you’ll find a short theatrical audio track based on its stories. Step into the18th Century and immerse yourself in smuggling life! Please be aware that this is a theatrical piece so some creative license has been used to enhance the story, meaning the audio tracks may not be entirely historically accurate - keep your wits about you!

You can download a transcript of each point of the trail on the trail pages, or you can download the full audio transcript here.

Route description and access information

This is a self-led walking trail that helps you explore Mudeford Quay. It begins outside the Haven Café on the Quay: Mudeford, Christchurch BH23 3NQ. What3Words:///crush.deals.pure All paths on this route are hard surface. The Quay has a car park and is connected to bus routes.

Facilities and rest opportunities

There are public toilets in Mudeford Quay beside the café. The Quay also has Haven House Inn and Café for refreshments and food. There are plenty of opportunities to sit along this trail with benches throughout Mudeford Quay.

Dogs

The Smugglers’ Run Trail is dog-friendly with a mix of quayside and some green park space. We advise that dogs are best kept on leads and ask you to pick up after your dogs.

Credits

Thank to you to the local historians, who helped to create this trail for their invaluable expertise and content creation, and Arts University Bournemouth for their work as supporting partner; Marten Simms for project development and design of the trail, BA Model-Making students Sofia McClarnon, Luna Ubide Holmes, Ella Ireland, Eyrun Ingolfsdottir, & Harry Codd for their amazing artwork, Joe Lillington for illustration, and Nat Carr for the graphic design of this trail.

The audio trail was produced by AUB Acting and created by drawing upon the information and inspiration of the trail signs, historical research by local historians, and improvisations and input from AUB Acting students and graduates; written by Alice Flynn, directed by Katharine Piercey and Megan Purdie, sound design and recording by Alex Green, performed by Lucy Jayne, Matt Lockett, Craig Norman, Katharine Piercey, Ken Robertson and Lauren Turner.