Trip to Portland Bill, Dorset - Ideas

[Naughty Magpie]

There are four of us (2 guys/2 girls) going to Portland for the August Bank Holiday weekend (Friday-Tuesday). I've not been there before but we're going there primarily to climb the rocks and cliffs.

We've got our accommodation sorted - camping in Weymouth...Wyke Regis?

Can any of you knowledgable people give me any recommendations on other things to do and see, places to eat, bars, clubs, good beaches, views, other sports or activities to try....because as much as I love climbing, I can't do it for 4 whole days.

Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Hannah.

[Pabl0]

Portland habour would have some water sports based schools (windsurfing/sailing, possibly kite-surfing/diving).

Places to visit lots on the Jurassic Coast (e.g. Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Swanage, Lyme Regis) - depends what you want/like.

[Naughty Magpie]

Pabl0 said:

Portland habour would have some water sports based schools (windsurfing/sailing, possibly kite-surfing/diving).

Places to visit lots on the Jurassic Coast (e.g. Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Swanage, Lyme Regis) - depends what you want/like.

We thought of diving but we have 2 x Open Water qualified, I'm an unqualified Open Water diver (done the dives but not the exam) and one complete non-diver. Not sure if they'd take us out?
Kite surfing - yes, one of us is bringing his gear & we have two powerkites to play with.

Will check out Durdle Door & I've always wanted to see Chesil Beach too.

[Jaguar steve]

Jurassic coast path for walking, Fossils and geology in Lyme Regis, Salisbury and Old Sarum, Army museum of flying, loads of beaches, great coast road for evening drive through really rural Dorset to Corfe Castle pasing Lulworth cove and Kimmeridge bay. Swanage railway..

[V8S]

Naughty Magpie said:

There are four of us (2 guys/2 girls) going to Portland for the August Bank Holiday weekend (Friday-Tuesday). I've not been there before but we're going there primarily to climb the rocks and cliffs.

We've got our accommodation sorted - camping in Weymouth...Wyke Regis?

Can any of you knowledgable people give me any recommendations on other things to do and see, places to eat, bars, clubs, good beaches, views, other sports or activities to try....because as much as I love climbing, I can't do it for 4 whole days.

Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Hannah.

Like Pablo says, you've got the whole of the coast to enjoy. In particular you ought to see Durdle Door.

There's:

• Abbotsbury swannery to the west.

• Sealife centre.
• Bennetts Water Gardens in Chickerell for a chill-out.
• Henley Hillbillies do quad and offroad experiences about 15 miles from Weymouth
• Beautiful villages inland.
• Warmwell (20 miles) has an artificial ski slope and Yeovil (30 miles) has a dry slope.
• Weymouth and Portland harbours have many fishing and boat trips, and there's usually kite surfers and windsurfers about. I think there's a windsurfing school halfway down Ferrybridge (the bit that links the mainland to Portland).
• I think the glass bottomed boat still runs to show the underwater world of the Fleet lagoon. http://www.weymouth.gov.uk/home.asp?sv=578
• Lyme Regis fossil hunting.
• Fathom and Blues do scuba diving lessons from Portland. http://www.fathomandblues.co.uk/
• Tyneham is a ruined village within MOD land near Lulworth. It will probably be accessible on the weekend you go.
• Kimmeridge is a surfing beach near Studland with rock pools but there is no beach as such. Just huge rock slabs sloping out into the sea.
• Golf course at Came Down north of Weymouth, and Burton Bradstock near Bridport.

Eating
Can't really help with places to eat other than the Smugglers Inn pub at Osmington Mills just east of Weymouth which is good. Finns is a rock and metal pub if you're into that.

Beaches
Charmouth, Weymouth, Lyme Regis, Swanage and Studland are pretty much the only sandy beaches in Dorset. The rest are pebbles. Studland is by far the most pretty and extensive but furthest from Weymouth and Portland. Weymouth is probably the safest but busiest. Charmouth can have a bad undertow, and don't try to swim off Chesil beach as that's not safe at all. Good for fishing though.

Views

Abbotsbury hill gives wonderful views towards Portland across the Fleet. The bonus, as a PHer, is that it is the start of the stunning coast road heading west to West Bay, where there's a nice harbour and huge sandstone cliffs.





Eggardon iron age hillfort gives an amazing view over west Dorset:


That doesn't really show the beauty of the view from the hillfort though.

Golden Cap and Eype - just west of West Bay is Eype which is a tiny village with a nice pub and a pebble beach looking towards Golden Cap (a hill with a cap of yellow sandstone) and the massive landslip of Black Venn (which is the largest in Europe) and Lyme Regis beyond.



Whiteway Hill near Lulworth on the MOD firing ranges gives views down to Tyneham village, east over Poole harbour and north of the tank training area.

[richardxjr]

V8S said:

Smugglers Inn pub at Osmington Mills just east of Weymouth which is good.

I'll second that. mmm Sussex Smokie washed down with a pint or 2 of Tanglefoot. It is on the coastal path above a beach where we found more fossils than at Lyme Regis. Easy climb down the cliff from the pub carpark.

Lovely part of the world.

[tobeee]

V8S said:

lots of great photos!

Lovely piccies mate!

[Naughty Magpie]

Wow V8S, very very helpful reply!!

Thank you!!

[V8S]

Naughty Magpie said:

Wow V8S, very very helpful reply!!

Thank you!!

No worries. If you need to know anything in particular, let me know.

Wyke Regis is the western side of Weymouth and was actually the original settlement until it spread east towards the mouth of the river Wey.

There's great bird watching on Ferrybridge, particularly when the tide goes out.

The best fish n' chip shops are the two either side of the bridge in the harbour. There's some nice-looking pubs along the eastern side of the harbour though I've never been in them. Brewers Quay also looks nice for sitting outside a pub - it's near the Nothe Fort on the west side of the harbour.

Look for George III riding his horse on the hill to the east of Weymouth. You can see it easily from the beach. His patronage of the town gave Wyke Regis it's 'Regis' bit.

I assume you'll be rock climbing near Church Ope cove along the old railway line? Don't forget to get a picture of you atop Pulpit Rock near the lighthouse at the Bill:



Any of you into anything specific outside climbing? I might be able to inform you better.

[Naughty Magpie]

Well amongst our group, 3 of us are skydivers, scuba divers (only Open Water) and climbers. I'm hoping to bring my paraglider down, my friend has kitesurfing equipment. Wouldn't mind doing some sea kayaking, hiking, windsurfing, even fishing!

Good pubs & chip shops are much appreciated, thank you for that.

[V8S]

Naughty Magpie said:

Well amongst our group, 3 of us are skydivers, scuba divers (only Open Water) and climbers. I'm hoping to bring my paraglider down, my friend has kitesurfing equipment. Wouldn't mind doing some sea kayaking, hiking, windsurfing, even fishing!

Good pubs & chip shops are much appreciated, thank you for that.

Well I can tell you where they do a lot of paragliding but I do not know who the field belongs to:

Aerial view

It's just off the A37 about 10 miles north of Weymouth. It is the steep hill to the east of the A37 on the aerial shot. Incidentally, on the same hill are the remains of a mediaeval village which you can just make out if you zoom in. Incidentally this is exactly where I took my profile picture.

In fact, here's a chap who teaches paragliding in Dorset:

http://www.flyingfrenzy.com/

I believe he must be the chap who uses the field above. He very kindly gave us a raffle prize for our two charity car meets a couple of months ago.

Portland harbour seems very good for kite surfing but the wind needs to be relatively strong if from the west as you have the bulk of Chesil beach looming over Ferrybridge. As you drive towards Portland from Wyke Regis you want to take the first left after the bridge and into a car park where all the kite surfers park. Quite a lot of room and space to set up and land the kites for dismantling.

Aerial view of car park

What I think is the windsurfing school is here, just down the beach from the kite surfers:

Aerial view

If you want to hike, a good place to start would be Durdle Door or Lulworth Cove (by the way, the car park ticket is valid for both - to get to Durdle Door car park you have to drive through the caravan park:

Aerial view of Durdle Door

Then hike east (on a weekend) through the MOD ranges on the coast path to the Fossil Forest (fossilised tree stumps) past Arish Mell and Worbarrow Bay to Flowers Barrow, an iron age hillfort that is being claimed by the sea.

[AdeTuono]

Whatever you do, when on Portland, NEVER say the word 'rabbits'.

[V8S]

AdeTuono said:

Whatever you do, when on Portland, NEVER say the word 'rabbits'.

Heh.

Coneys everywhere!

[Naughty Magpie]

V8S said:

AdeTuono said:

Whatever you do, when on Portland, NEVER say the word 'rabbits'.

Heh.

Coneys everywhere!

Hehe I'd heard that & subsequently read it on Wikipedia yesterday! Us girls shall call them ickle fluffy bunnies instead & the guys can choose their own names.