Tag Archives: Dorset

86 – Charlestown to Abbotsbury

We were back!  After an absence of two and a half years we finally managed to coax our teenagers out of their bedrooms (I am sorry to say that they didn’t really emerge from their cocoons as the beautiful butterflies … Continue reading

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85 – Chesil Beach to Charlestown

Christmas.  Don’t get me wrong.  I enjoy the time of year.  But there is a certain part of me that wishes I were somewhere else on Christmas Day.  This feeling tends to occur at around 3pm.  Christmas Lunch is over.  … Continue reading

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84b – Western Portland to Chesil Beach

The thing I remember most about the west coast of Portland is an arch.  It was fashioned from blocks the size of people, as if giants had been playing with Lego bricks.  Although most were placed in exact positions, there … Continue reading

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83b – Western Portland Part I

The western side of Portland is the less favourable for walkers when compared to the eastern side.  There are no cliff paths down to the shoreline; no wild goats; no hidden coves or ruined churches.  The western side is a … Continue reading

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82f – Portland Bill Part I

As we made our final approach to Portland Bill we left the rugged, almost Mediterranean, landscape behind and entered quarry territory.  Massive piles of rocks lay heaped on the ground, as if giants had passed this way and made cairns … Continue reading

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82e – Church Ope Cove to Portland Bill

As we walked south from Church Ope Cove I felt that the landscape was almost Mediterranean.  We were completely alone.  The sky was a blistering blue and glared off the limestone cliffs.  The sea rippled in an inviting turquoise colour … Continue reading

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82d – Portland Part V – Chruch Ope Cove

About half way down the east cost of Portland is Church Ope Cove.  It offers a secluded beach which, it is said, was once sandy but is now pebbly.  Apparently the extensive quarrying on Portland covered the sand with rock … Continue reading

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82c – Portland Part IV

Shortly after passing the walls of Portland Prison, the Coastal Path veers eastwards, leading down a steep slope back towards the sea.  After prisons and immigration centres I was rather looking forward to more proper coastline. From our vantage point … Continue reading

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82b – Portland Part III

Portland Stone is probably one of the best known building materials in the world.  It is used extensively in London and the United Kingdom and has been exported to all over the world.  It has been used in many famous … Continue reading

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82a – Portland Part II

New Ground is a road that runs along the high ground of Portland.  For coastal walkers there are convenient (and free) places to park along its length.  To the north are expansive views over Chesil Beach. Chesil Beach is a … Continue reading

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