18.8km all around the coast.
Section 65 of the SWCPA Guide, but from East to West – keep the sea on the left.
Some time ago, maybe we will look up the exact date later, we had stayed in a campsite in Weymouth in the first of our VW camper vans, and walked around Portland. From that experience, we decided to cheat just a little and drive across “Ferry Bridge” and walk the other way around the island and avoid the interesting, but long at the start and end of the day, walk along the shingle of ferry bridge.
So, we parked at a little (and free) car park at Chiswell, soon after you get on the Island.
From here it was easy walk along the streets past the hospital to a development that looked more like Greece than England, an expansive block of flats, and another abandoned with only the concrete shell completed.
After missing a sign and seeing more of the abounded flats, we ascended the “merchants Incline” and then followed the merchant’s railway and follow a good path around the high security of a number of penal institutions. Unfortunately, the “Jailhouse café” was not open except at weekends and so we had to continue steeply down the cliffs and some way to Church Ope Cove where we stopped for a quick break.
Here there is a serious “down and up” to a rather charming series of beach huts before following a short stretch of road then an interesting section through old Portland Stone quarries, which eventually lead us, past numerous huts, to Portland Bill.
We stopped for lunch before the fairly busy area around the lighthouse (there actually seem to be three lighthouses) and then started along the West coast of the Island.
This justified my decision to go clockwise around the Island – the West Coast path is high, with spectacular views, but relatively flat until after Weston there are a couple of closures, and vague diversions, that look quite old. The second of these lead us through the sculpture park with some interesting, though rather abandoned animal sculptures.
From here the path led us to a set of steps, unfortunately not signed, that took us back down to sea level and a welcome pink café that provide a very welcome Marshfield Farm ice-cream.
