We took a break for a family holiday in Dorset, the neighbouring county to Devon. The Isle of Portland is an intriguing place, a tethered island, connected to the mainland by a causeway that is home to the famous Chesil beach: an eighteen mile-long strip of large pebbles, lapped by clear water.
It was great to get away for a while, and it certainly recharged my batteries.
I hope that you enjoy the photos.
The SW Coast path runs along the cliff tops, and you can see Chesil beach in the distance.
Another stretch of the SW coast path with its fine views.
We saw several of these semi-circular concrete platforms, and I believe that they were the bases for WWII gun emplacements.
The lighthouse at Portland Bill. Still used, we took the guided tour and climbed the steps to see the modern automated LED light in this old lighthouse.
We saw this boat arrive, and three of the crew jumped out, climbed up, and then proceeded to winch the boat onto the clifftop, operating the derrick by hand. Quite a sight.
A view down to Church Ope Cove, a secluded beach where we relaxed on the pebble beach and even had a swim.
We had fun building a curved wall from large pebbles, and for fun, we added a large pebble that looked distinctly like a huge egg. A nest for a dinosaur perhaps?
Comments are always welcome.
To see other featured photos on the site, please visit the Featured Photos category,
Great luck to see and record the hoisting of the boat. I guess we should thank the ancient Egyptians for the technology! The whole moment has an ancient feel.
It did feel like stepping back in time. Along the coast we found the remains of old wooden derricks that had been used for the same purpose many years ago.
Love the photos. How do you get to the island? Do you need to take a boat across? I don’t suppose you could drive along the bit that connects to the mainland if it is a pebble beach. I think this will have to be on the next stop on the holiday list!
Thank you. I’m pleased to say that there is a good road on a causeway that runs parallel to the beach, so it’s easy to get to the Isle of Portland.
Awesome pics of a lovely coast. Love your pebble nest!
Thank you. Glad you liked the photos.
A wild & rugged place. Your pics brought back happy memories of family holidays there in the 1970s & 1980s. We used to climb up Pulpit Rock (near the lighthouse) but I bet the Health & Safety wallahs have put a stop to that now! Will we see Alan & Dan on the SWCP soon or was your visit purely a holiday and not for research?
That’s nice to hear. There were some footholds on pulpit rock but there’s a sign discouraging climbers. It was a holiday, but I am tempted to set a story there. We’ll see.