Portland

Portland is a small island attached to Weymouth by the narrow strip of land called Chesil Beach. Popular throughout the year, people love Portland for many reasons including birdwatching, walking, the rugged coastal scenery and climbing. The Isle of Slingers as Thomas Hardy named it in his novels, Portland may be a small island but it packs a lot in with gems such as Portland Bill, Church Ope Cove and the Pirates Graveyard. Museums include the Portland Museum, the D-Day centre and Portland Castle.

Portland Stone and Quarrying

Portland stone has been quarried here for many years, quarrying and the often huge waves that crash repeatedly against the cliffs is responsible for creating much of Portland's beautiful landscape. Portland Stone can be seen in the construction of many of the properties in Portland, Weymouth and the wider Dorset area as well as some of the countries most famous landmarks including Buckingham Palace and St Paul's Cathedral.

Portland Bill Birdwatching

Birdwatching is a particularly popular activity on the island, the Portland Bird Observatory (in one of the former lighthouses) can be found close to the current Portland Bill Lighthouse. The iconic red and white Lighthouse at Portland Bill, with Pulpit Rock in the background is one of the most visited places in this part of Dorset and one of the 'picture postcards' of the area. When the winds blowing, Portland Bill sees huge waves crashing into the cliffs here, making for some very dramatic scenes. See Pictures of Portland Bill Here.

Driving on Portland

The short drive along Portland Beach Road takes you between Portland and Weymouth. As you drive up to the steep roads that take you to the heights of Portland you can see fantastic views of the Fleet, across Chesil beach and Weymouth. There are a number of places to stop and enjoy the views and places to park at the major attractions.

Villages on Portland

Portland is made up of several small villages. Fortuneswell and Chiswell are at the bottom of the island whilst Easton can be found as you drive towards the top. There are plenty of viewing points as you make your way to the top near the Verne Citadel, where the views looking across Chesil beach and the Fleet lagoon rival the very best in Dorset.

The Verne Citadel and High Angle Battery

If you look towards the top of Portland, the Verne Citadel sits at the highest point on the island. Formerly a Fortress, built to protect the important Portland Harbour, it now operates as a prison. The Verne Citadel is a very impressive listed building, huge walls and ditches made it a totally impenetrable fortress. Close to the Verne can be found the High Angle Batteries, these also formed part of the defence of Portland Harbour, along with The Verne. The High Angle Battery was designed to enable guns to fire at a high angle allowing the shell to drop down on its targets around Portland Harbour. Today, the High Angle Battery is a derelict set of tunnels that can be found close to the Verne.

Church Ope Cove, Rufus Castle and The Pirates Graveyard

Portland Museum and Church Ope Cove can be found close by on Portland. After visiting Portland Museum, if you carry on down the small alley that runs past quaint old Portland cottages and the impressive Pennsylvania castle you will be greeted with a beautiful view of the impressive ruin of Rufus Castle perched high up on the cliff. Rufus castle (or Bow and Arrow castle by its alternate name) is a ruin from the 1400s. The ruins are not accessible but you can catch a good view from the area above Church Ope Cove. A little further on, under the arch on the footpath and you will find one of the best views in Dorset, a view that looks out over the picturesque Church Ope Cove and the clear blue sea. The area above Church Ope Cove offers one of the best views in Dorset, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the Mediterranean, its the ideal place to stop for a rest. If you fancy walking down the steep steps you can access the stone beach of Church Ope Cove, once a sandy beach but now covered in smooth stones, this is a product of Portland quarrying. St Andrews Churchyard is high up above the cove. A church has been on this site since Saxon times, the ruins of the bell tower date back to the 15th century. The church itself used to be the main church on Portland but after a number of landslips, a replacement church was built inland and St Andrews was left to ruin. St Andrews churchyard is commonly known as Church Ope Cove Pirates Graveyard due to the presence of a tomb showing a skull and crossbones emblem.

Pirate raids and Vikings

Not only did St Andrews Church suffer several landslips in its long history, it was also attacked and burnt down by French Pirates in the 1300s and again in the 1400s. Centuries earlier, it is thought that the first viking attack to reach Britain was also here at the beach on Church Ope Cove. The once sandy Church Ope Cove beach was also a favourite smuggling haunt. Church Ope Cove has seen its fair share of history through the years.

Portland's Old churchyards and Portland Pirates....

As well as the remains of St Andrews churchyard at Church Ope Cove, other interesting churchyards on Portland include the Naval cemetery overlooking the harbour on the lower part of the island. The largest Portland churchyard is that of St Georges Church which can be found close to Easton. St Georges Church replaced the ruined St Andrews church mentioned above. The Churchyard at St Georges has graves including murdered victims of Portland press gangs, links to piracy and a survivor who was rescued from aboard the Titanic disaster.

Portland Bill

Portlands most famous attraction is Portland Bill, the red and white striped lighthouse. A number of lighthouses have been built at Portland Bill over the years, the coast around here is dangerous and the site of many Shipwrecks. The current Portland Bill lighthouse still warns ships to this day. There are 153 steps to the top of Portland Bill Lighthouse, for a small fee, you can visit and climb them. Portland Bill is a lovely place to take a picnic, enjoy the views and go for a walk. There are plenty of benches overlooking the view. Theres a large carpark, a shop and a cafe. As you walk along the coastline at Portland Bill, you will see evidence of quarrying for the Portland stone that has been used for so many famous buildings throughout the country.

Portland Museums

Portland Museum, close to Church Ope Cove has already been mentioned. Also on Portland is Henry VIII's Portland Castle built to protect Portland harbour from possible French invasions. Portland Castle was involved in Portland's military history throughout the next 400 years. It was under Royalist control during the civil war, it defended the harbour during the Napoleonic wars and was used by military personnel during both world wars after which it was released by the MOD and today under the guardianship of English Heritage it can be visited to give a unique insight into the history of Portland. The D Day Centre is close-by too. This museum tells the history of D-Day as troops left Portland here for the D-Day beaches.