A weekend at Portland
A chance to go back and see the places I remember from my childhood
The famous Chesil Beach (at 9 miles long, it is by far the longest spit peninsula in Britain) and the Fleet seen from Portland
The monument to the quarry men at Portland
With 16 miles of pebbles, Chesil Beach is the longest pebble ridge in Europe
Even on a calm day, the waves crash and roar on the beach
Erm... and sometimes, they are higher than you expect
The historic Fleet lagoon - this was the testing site for the World War II bouncing bomb (you may be lucky enough to find a piece at low tide) and the setting for Falkner's "Moonfleet" novel
A storm on the Fleet, came and went with only a few minutes warning
The rock of Portland - the place where Portland (lime)Stone comes from
The lighthouse at Portland Bill, built to replace two older lighthouses - visitors can climb the lighthouse (inside *sigh*) if desired
The massive lens used by the lighthouse
And the bulb used to light it
Waves crashing onto the coast of Portland Bill, where three tidal systems meet to create extremely rough seas - easy to see why they needed the lighthouse
Pulpit Rock stack at Portland Bill
A wave launching itself into a gulley at Portland Bill
And the resulting whirlpool
Waves crashing into a sea cave at Portland Bill
The Osmington White Horse, carved in 1808 depicting King George III arriving in Weymouth - unfortunately, it was carved facing the wrong direction, annoying the king, and as far as I remember from my childhood stories, the engineer responsible committed suicide
Stair Hole, showing significant geological folds at Lulworth
Lulworth Cove, the natural harbour, used more often for school geography trips
The famous Chesil Beach (at 9 miles long, it is by far the longest spit peninsula in Britain) and the Fleet seen from Portland
The monument to the quarry men at Portland
With 16 miles of pebbles, Chesil Beach is the longest pebble ridge in Europe
Even on a calm day, the waves crash and roar on the beach
Erm... and sometimes, they are higher than you expect
The historic Fleet lagoon - this was the testing site for the World War II bouncing bomb (you may be lucky enough to find a piece at low tide) and the setting for Falkner's "Moonfleet" novel
A storm on the Fleet, came and went with only a few minutes warning
The rock of Portland - the place where Portland (lime)Stone comes from
The lighthouse at Portland Bill, built to replace two older lighthouses - visitors can climb the lighthouse (inside *sigh*) if desired
The massive lens used by the lighthouse
And the bulb used to light it
Waves crashing onto the coast of Portland Bill, where three tidal systems meet to create extremely rough seas - easy to see why they needed the lighthouse
Pulpit Rock stack at Portland Bill
A wave launching itself into a gulley at Portland Bill
And the resulting whirlpool
Waves crashing into a sea cave at Portland Bill
The Osmington White Horse, carved in 1808 depicting King George III arriving in Weymouth - unfortunately, it was carved facing the wrong direction, annoying the king, and as far as I remember from my childhood stories, the engineer responsible committed suicide
Stair Hole, showing significant geological folds at Lulworth
Lulworth Cove, the natural harbour, used more often for school geography trips