closing

A BEAUTIFUL island off the coast of Dorset is closing to the public soon and you won’t be able to visit again until next spring.

Brownsea Island was said to have inspired Enid Blyton when writing her Famous Five novels.

Owned by the National Trust, the car-free island opens to the public in the summer months with direct boats from Poole Harbour.

These run every 30 minutes, costing around £15.

But the island closes to the public on November 1, and won’t reopen to the public until mid-March 2027.

You will also need to pay to visit the island which is an additional £12 although, National Trust members go free.

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But the island is popular with wildlife lovers, with exotic birds, deer and free roaming peacocks.

It has a huge red squirrel population too, with around 250, best spotted in the morning.

The 16th century Brownsea Castle, built by Henry VIII, is the main building on the island, but you won’t be able to stay there as it is sadly privately owned.

Instead there is the Brownsea Island Campsite, with 40 pitches in the summer, or a number of lodges sleeping from 2 to 12 people.

There is an adventure playground for kids, with everything from den building to obstacles.

You’ll have to leave the dogs at home sadly, as only assistance pets are allowed.

Daily guided tours take place too twice a day.

Otherwise you can fill your stomach at the Vilano Cafe which has snacks, drinks and a snack van in the summer.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Monday, gaining 13.89 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 10,878.46.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.19 billion ($1.12 billion), as 78 of the listed stocks advanced, while 182 retreated.

The MT30 Index also rose, gaining 1.38 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 1,460.13.

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu slipped 78.28 points or 0.36 percent to close at 21,500.91. This comes as 25 of the listed stocks advanced, while 46 retreated.

Top performers

The best-performing stock was Saudi Arabia Refineries Co., surging by 9.98 percent to close at SR58.95.

Other top performers included Wafrah for Industry and Development Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.25 percent to SR22.77, and Mutakamela Insurance Co., up 4.72 percent to SR13.32.

Worst performers

On the downside, the worst performer of the day was Riyadh Cement Co., whose share price fell by 4.91 percent to SR22.46.

Armah Sports Co. and Advanced Building Industries Co. also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 4.18 percent and 3.66 percent to SR68.85 and SR27.34, respectively.

Arabian Drilling signs 8 more land rigs

On the announcement front, Arabian Drilling Co. announced the signing of a new five-year contract with SLB for the provision of eight additional land rigs for Gas LSTK operations.

The agreement adds approximately SR2 billion to the company’s backlog, following its previously announced five-year contract with SLB covering 11 existing land rigs.

Together, the two contracts add approximately SR5 billion to backlog, taking Arabian Drilling’s total backlog to a record SR16 billion, the highest in its history, and constituting the largest Gas LSTK commitment ever secured by the Company.

The financial impact of the new contract is expected to begin reflecting on the company’s results starting from the final quarter of 2026.

Arabian Drilling Co.’s shares rose 2.99 percent to close at SR96.35.