What a fabulous walk! My friend Trish organised this as an escape for a night and a day. I’ve known Trish since we were fourteen so our friendship is more that of sisters. When we get together its always an adventure of sorts and always funny! She told me that the main thing she gets out of our friendship is that I laugh at her jokes!
I’ve never been to Portland before and had no idea what to expect. I know that Portland stone was quarried there but that’s about it.
Portland Island is not really an island being connected to the mainland by the narrow Chesil Breach a towering shingle causeway but, oh my goodness it has an Island feel about it, it suddenly feels a bit parochial, quaint and insular. There are two prisons on the island (one being for young offenders) and very run down or ex-military looking properties in the centre. Not exactly des res but they have spectacular views of the sea.
So to our trip. We stayed in basic accomodation overnight, taking our own bedding, food etc.
We watched the sea as the sun went down and the stars came out but it was too raw to stay outside. As we made ourselves comfortable and ready for bed, me with three sleeping bags and thick socks, we laughed ourselves silly trying to take selfies that didn’t make us look deformed! I’m not sharing!
I must say I slept rather well while Trish was up half the night worrying about carbon monoxide poisoning, the shutters blowing away in the storm (that blew through) and just generally being annoyed that I was sleeping peacefully! Sorry Trish!
The next day started grey but then the sun came out and we set off pretty much from Portland Bill eastward along the coastal track, this was more by luck that judgment but it turned out to be a good move.
It is very clear that this little ‘Isle’ has been quarried for a long long time, the landscape is not natural but there is something otherworldly about it as you wander through long abandoned quarry’s with the sea pounding the rocks on one side. The wildlife has taken it back and in many ways on a winters day it felt lonely even though we met people walking their dogs.
As we walked, we saw a castle ruin up on the cliff, quite magical in the morning sunlight. Rufus Castle teeters on the edge of the cliffs above the delightful Church Ope Cove with its little beach huts and their stone gardens. The castle dates back to the 12th Century and was named after William II of England also known as William Rufus or Red William. The cove itself was considered vulnerable to raiders and apparently the first recorded attack by Vikings was on Portland and its considered likely to have been this spot. Hard to imagine now in the tranquillity of the day we were there. The castle features heavily within English history and has been rebuilt and mended on numerous occasions. Trish seemed in her element in this cove looking for pebbles and enjoying the sea. It was very peaceful.
As we went on we met a couple waking their dogs who gave us detailed directions, (obviously we looked completely lost, bewildered and inept) to a zig zag up the cliff they described as a conversation killer but in all honesty I don’t know what the fuss was about, the conversation killer came much later! They gave us a tip to visit Fancy’s Farm for a cup of tea but I really wish we’d gone to the Jail house Café and even more so since I’ve read about it being for the rehabilitation of prisoners http://jailhousecafe.co.uk/ We missed this spot and I think later when I carry on my coastal walk I will need to come back.
Now at the top of the cliffs and past the prison and a very active quarry we had a pit/loo stop at Fancy’s Farm (http://www.fancysfarm.co.uk/) that appears to be a petting farm in the middle of an ex-military base! The lady in the shop was helpful in giving us advice about some of the coastal route that was closed, presumably having fallen into the sea!
Trish had planned the route so that at this point we crossed over to the west side and didn’t go down into the town. We passed a bridge into the Vern Citidel which was built in the 1800s as fortification but converted to a prison in 1949. We meandered up some earth works which I have since found out are all part of the Vern Citadel where we got a veiw of Chesil Beach.
We got a bit lost in the gullies around the Vern Citidel but eventually found our way across King Barrow Quarry Nature Reserve and then over to Tout Quarry Sculpture Park. Both these areas are wonderful and brilliant places to meander, climb and explore. They are abandoned quarries and we thought bringing children here for a picnic would be heaven. The sculpture park was started in 1983 and once we found the main part it was quite astonishing as you can see from the photos.
We walked from here back onto the coastal path and this is where the conversation stopped! The wind was strong, we were on the edge of over 200ft cliffs and water was coming up the cliff face vertically. It was really strange it looked like rain going the wrong way! We hooked arms as it was enough to push us off our feet, thankfully it was blowing inland. This area looked like something out of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda with stone gateways and ruined structures (yes! I have been known to game!)
Then as we climbed to Blacknor point the path really narrowed, it was single file and it was quite un-nerving with the wind buffeting us. Past this point it became broad and grassy and dare I say it, quite boring as we trudged back down the soggy track towards ‘The Bill lighthouse’ and a bowl of well deserved and delicious soup at The Lobster Pot http://lobsterpotrestaurantportland.co.uk/ .
The weather had been superb, we had walked 9 and a half miles with some fairly steep climbs and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Trish for your company and the photos and you can plan another one!
The Travelling Bee 