Out and About: The Isle of Portland
"Not really an island," a Portlander will say, "it's a peninsula," but Portland people — known locally as Kimberlins if you're from away, Birdies if you're born there — have often said they live somewhere set apart. And yet, the Isle of Portland is only thirty minutes from Poundbury, jutting into the English Channel like a clenched fist, tethered to the mainland by the extraordinary shingle sweep of Chesil Beach, one of the most distinctive landscapes in Dorset, raw, windswept and dramatic.
Two worlds in one
Portland divides into two distinct characters: Top Hill and Under Hill, with eight settlements between them, from Fortuneswell and Easton to Wakeham, Southwell and Grove. The stone that built much of London — including St Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace — came from here. Portland limestone has been quarried on this peninsula for centuries, and the landscape still carries the marks of that history. Some areas have been scarred by old workings, but many quarries have been reclaimed as nature reserves, their pale rock now colonised by rare plants and butterflies.
Credit: Paul Coggins
The Harbour and the sea
The harbour on Portland's northern shore is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. Once home to the Royal Navy Dockyard, it is now a busy commercial port handling ship-to-ship transfers, bunkering and a growing cruise schedule. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary still visits regularly for logistics and trials.
For leisure sailors, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is a world-class facility: 220 metres of slipway, 600 dinghy spaces, 125 marina berths and a full club house with gym and lecture room. It was here, of course, that the sailing events of the London 2012 Olympics took place, with races held across Portland Harbour from 29 July to 11 August. Ben Ainslie, Nick Dempsey and Hannah Mills all competed here, and the regatta was the first to introduce Women's Match Racing to the Olympic programme.
Also in the harbour area: Sunseeker, the manufacturer of some of the world's most expensive and beautiful luxury yachts, has long had a significant presence on Portland — another reminder that this modest-looking peninsula is quite remarkable.
Portland Bill
No visit is complete without walking to the Bill itself — the southernmost tip of the peninsula, where the lighthouse has guided ships through one of the most treacherous tidal races in the British Isles since 1716. The current red-and-white striped tower dates from 1906. On a clear day, the views are extraordinary; on a rough one, the sea off the Bill is awe-inspiring.
Artist Row and the quieter side
On a lovely autumn morning — and Paul Coggins, who explored Portland for us recently, recommends this — walk the network of narrow streets, dip down Avalanche Road, find the Artists' Row, and look out across to Abbotsbury and the Dorset hills beyond the Ridgeway. Portland has a thriving creative community, with independent galleries and studios tucked into corners you'll only find by wandering.
Portland is also the proposed site of Jurassica, an ambitious natural history and fossil attraction that has attracted serious national interest and backing — one to watch.
Go soon
Portland is a 30-minute drive from Poundbury: head towards Weymouth and follow the signs. Park near the Bill and walk back through the settlements, or start at Fortuneswell and work your way south. Wear layers: the wind off the Channel has a mind of its own.
Our thanks to CAofP member Paul Coggins for exploring Portland on our behalf and sharing his notes and photographs. Other sources:
Have a favourite place near Poundbury you'd like to suggest for a future Out and About? Let us know.
For more local attractions visit our Love Poundbury website page.