Isle of Portland

Portland is a town in Dorset, a county on the south coast of the West Country, in England. Portland is actually an island, even though it is linked to the mainland by Chesil Beach, as Chesil Beach is a shoal beach (not a tombolo).

Portland Castle

View of Portland from Weymouth

Many attractions and facilities are available in the nearby town of Weymouth, a short bus ride away. The area is rapidly improving after the closure of the Naval Base in 1995. The London 2012 Olympic sailing events were staged in Portland Harbour.

Understand

Portland has been a place of human settlement since the Stone Age.

The island is known for its stone that has been taken from the island's seven quarries and been used to build notable structures such as the Cenotaph memorial, Buckingham Palace and St. Paul's Cathedral. In addition to be being exported abroad. Portland Castle and many of the island's other buildings use this local grey stone too.

Despite the island's small size, Portland has been home to three prisons: HMP Portland, HMP Verne and HMP Weare. This makes Portland comparable to Alcatraz, though only the former is being used as a prison.

Isle of Portland
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       67     8 5       53     8 4       52     9 5       47     12 6       44     14 9       39     17 12       35     19 14       41     19 15       47     18 13       82     15 11       82     12 8       78     9 5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm Source: Wikipedia. Visit the Met Office for a five day forecast.
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       2.6     47 40       2.1     46 39       2.1     49 41       1.8     53 44       1.7     58 48       1.5     62 53       1.4     66 57       1.6     67 58       1.8     64 55       3.2     59 51       3.2     53 46       3.1     49 42 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Get in

By car

From the South and London

Follow the A35 towards Dorchester, but turn off on the junction for the A354 (that has signs for Weymouth). Then follow the signs into the town. Once in Weymouth there are many signs for Portland.

From the Westcountry

Follow the signs for Bridport, then at the roundabout near Morrisons take the coast road towards Weymouth, or the main road towards Dorchester. Once in Weymouth there are many signs for Portland.

By train

The nearest train station is 🌍 Weymouth station. Trains to Weymouth station come direct from London Waterloo and Bristol. Connections can be made from the north by changing trains at London, Bristol or at Southampton. There is a bus stop two minutes from the train station with direct busses to Portland. There is also a taxi rank outside the station.

By coach

National Express operates a coach service to and from Weymouth's Seafront. Services run to London Victoria, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol with connections to other locations from those towns. Once in Weymouth, there is a five minute walk to a bus stop further along the seafront, where buses to Portland depart up to every 7 minutes.

By ferry

A ferry service by Coastline Cruises operates between Brewer's Quay in Weymouth and both Crabbers Wharf and Portland Marina in Portland, the average journey time is 45 minutes each way. Single fares are £6 for adults and £4 for children. Return fares are £10 adults and £6 for children.

Get around

Chesil Beach and The Fleets

Bus services are provided by both First and South West Coaches on Portland. The main service is route 1, provided by First, which operates every 7/8 minutes on weekdays during the day. The FirstDay ticket, which allows unlimited travel around Portland, Weymouth and Dorchester on the day of purchase on First services, costs £4.10 and can be bought from a driver.

Taxis are relatively inexpensive, the major operator in the area is Portline ([phone])

See

• 🌍 Portland Castle, Liberty Road, Castletown, DT5 1AZ (Follow road signs upon arrival on Portland towards Castletown and Portland Castle. Bus services 1, 1X, 7 and X7 serve Victoria Square, approximately ten minutes walk away), ☎ [phone]. Daily 10AM to 5PM (closed during winter, open late nights in summer). Built by Henry VIII in the early 1540s, this castle has played a part in history ever since. This history is portrayed through exhibitions and the building itself. Adults £4.80, children £2.90, concessions £4.30.  
• 🌍 Tout Quarry, Hope Square (follow the main road up until the Portland Heights Hotel, when you will turn right at a roundabout following signs for Tout Quarry; bus services 1 and 1X serve the nearby Portland Heights Hotel, which is approximately 3 minutes walk away), ☎ [phone]. Every day, all day (for walking around the quarry); contact venue for workshop times. This beautiful quarry is full of sculptures that local people have created. It is set on the top of Portland with fantastic views of the Jurassic Coastline. Free entry (workshops have additional fee).  
• 🌍 Portland Bill Lighthouse, Most southerly tip of Portland (follow brown tourist signs towards Portland Bill from arrival on Portland; or take bus service 1X), ☎ [phone]. It has interactive displays and historical artefacts and offers the opportunity to encounter a stormy sea journey in the ‘Into The Dark’ zone. Visitors can also climb the lighthouse and see for miles along the beautiful Dorset Coastline, the Jurassic Coast and out to the treacherous Portland Race. Minimum height 1.1 metres tall to climb the tower. Visitor centre: adults £2, child (age 16 & under) free; visitor centre and lighthouse: adults £7, family ticket (2 adults and up to 2 children) £20, child (age 16 & under) £5, concession £6. (updated Apr 2019)

Museums

• 🌍 Portland Museum, 217 Wakeham, Easton, DT5 1HS, ☎ [phone]. Museum dedicated to Portland's stone, the Jurassic Coast, shipwrecks around the island and famous people linked to the island. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 Castletown D-Day Centre, Admiralty Buildings, Castletown, DT5 1BD, ☎ [phone]. Sa-Su 10:30AM-3:30PM, M-F closed. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 Grove Prison Museum, 104 Grove Rd, The Grove, DT5 1DZ, ☎ [phone]. Th-Su 10AM-2PM, M-W closed. Set inside HMP Portland, a young offenders' institute; is a small two-room museum. Free (donations recommended). (updated Mar 2018)

Do

• 🌍 Chesil Beach. Chesil Beach is a 17 mi (27 km) long shingle beach spit connecting Portland to West Bay, contrary to popular belief Chesil Beach is not a tombolo, but a shoal beach. Part of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site. (updated Mar 2018)
  • 🌍 Chesil Beach Visitor Centre, Portland Beach Rd, DT4 9XE. A small visitor centre with exhibits, a cafe and visitor information. A good starting point for tourists. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 Royal Manor Theatre, 138A Fortuneswell, DT5 1LT, ☎ [phone]. Portland's own small theatre is in a former church that hosts the occasional production and can be hired as a venue. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 Osprey Leisure Centre, Castletown, DT5 1BD, ☎ [phone]. Leisure centre with a 25-m swimming pool, gym and cafe. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Osprey Quay (follow brown tourist signs to Osprey Quay on arrival to Portland; bus services 1, 1X, 7 and X7 serve Victoria Square, approximately ten minutes walk away.), ☎ [phone]. Check with venue for opening times. In the Osprey Quay development. This venue hosted the London 2012 Olympic sailing events. This venue hosts events throughout the year as well as sailing courses. Cost of courses varies.  
• Sailing
• Windsurfing
• Rock climbing
• Cycling and hiking around the island on the clifftop-coastal path

Buy

• 🌍 Underwater Explorers, Unit 1, Maritime Business Centre, Mereside, DT5 1FD, ☎ [phone]. 9AM-5PM. A diving shop, you can browse stock both online and with Google Street View. They also provide training. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 The Wool Shop, 17 Easton St, Easton, DT5 1BS, ☎ [phone]. A haberdashery store specialising in wool. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 Island Gallery, 31 Easton Square, DT5 1BU, ☎ [phone]. Tu-F 10AM-5PM, Sa 9:30AM-4PM, Su-M closed. Sells gifts and offers a picture framing service. (updated Mar 2018)

Eat

• 🌍 Jailhouse Cafe, The Verne Prison, DT5 1EQ, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Su: 10AM-3PM, M: Closed. A cheap cafe near Verne Prison that does sandwiches, burgers and jacket potatoes. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 Lobster Pot, Portland Bill, DT5 2JT, ☎ [phone]. M-F 10AM-4:30PM, Sa Su 9AM-5PM. Dorset's most southerly restaurant, right next to Portland Bill and reputedly open since 1952. Despite its name, there is no lobster on the extensive menu though there is locally sourced crab. (updated Mar 2018)

Drink

• 🌍 The Cove House Inn, 91 Chiswell, DT5 1AW, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon-10:30PM. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 The George Inn, 133 Reforne, Easton, DT5 2AP, ☎ [phone]. noon-11PM. (updated Mar 2018)

Sleep

Budget

• 🌍 YHA Youth Hostel, Hardy House, Castle Road (Castle Town), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. An impressive Edwardian building (that previously housed the Royal Navy's First Admiral). Close to Chesil Beach and the fast bus link to Weymouth. Private rooms and camping are also available. From £15 per bed. (updated Mar 2017)

Mid-range

There are numerous guest houses located on the island. Portland Heights Hotel has spectacular views and has the highest amount of tourist guide stars in the area. Portland Lodge next door is also very good and caters to many of the divers and sailors in the area.

• 🌍 Portland Heights Hotel, Yeates Rd, DT5 2EN, ☎ [phone]. (updated Jan 2018)
• 🌍 Portland Lodge, Easton Ln, DT5 1BW, ☎ [phone]. (updated Jan 2018)

Splurge

• 🌍 Pennsylvania Castle, Pennsylvania Rd, Easton, DT5 1HZ, ☎ [phone]. (updated Mar 2018)

Go next

The majority of pubs on the island are locally run establishments, aimed at older generations. There are no nightclubs on Portland. Most of local residents travel to nearby Weymouth to go out. Cinema and bowling facilities can also be found in Weymouth.

Routes through Isle of Portland

Weymouth ←	N  S	→ END
Dorchester ← Weymouth ←	N  S	→ END