Jane's Midlife Journey

I have set myself the challenge of walking the South West Coast Path. Initially, this was something my brother was trying to achieve. But after he died, I decided to pick up the mantle.

The South West Coast Path stretches for 630 miles, running along the coast from Somerset, through Devon and Cornwall to Dorset. Starting in Minehead in Somerset, the path runs along the north coast of the peninsula as far as Lands End, before turning and running along the south coast to South Haven Point near Poole.

My guide book divides the trail into 70 sections. As I live near what is traditionally considered to be the end of the trail, I plan to tackle the route in reverse, starting with Section 70.

The South West Coast Path is predominantly a linear trail. The exception is Section 65, which consists of a loop round The Isle of Portland. This unique, tied island is joined to the mainland by Chesil Beach – an 18 mile long shingle beach.

South West Coast Path Section 65 at a Glance

Starting Point	Ferry Bridge
Finishing Point	Ferry Bridge
Distance	20.9 km
Ascent	339 metres
Timing	6 hours
Grading	Moderate
Settlements	Fortuneswell
Points of Interest	Chesil Beach Portland Castle Castletown D-Day Museum Portland Museum Rufus Castle Portland Bill Lighthouse Tout Quarry Sculpture Park
Stamping Point	Fine Foundation Wild Chesil Centre NCI Portland Bill
Take a Break	Billy Winters The Lobster Pot

Starting Point

Today’s starting point is Ferry Bridge, where Portland joins the mainland via a stretch of Chesil Beach.

Getting to the Start

Public Transport

Weymouth has good bus and train connections. From here, Bus No 1 (Portland Link) stops at Ferrybridge. During the summer, the No 11 (Portland Coaster) is another option.

Chesil Beach

Chesil Beach spans a total of 18 miles, running north west from Portland to West Bay. This impressive natural structure measures an average of 160 metres wide and up to 12 metres high. It apparently consists of around 180 billion pebbles, which decrease in size from Portland up.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to walk along this leg sapping shingle beast. There is a footpath.

Portland Castle

At the north end of the Isle of Portland (or what the locals would call the bottom), is Portland Castle. The castle, which dates back to 1539, was one of Henry VIII’s coastal artillery forts, built to defend Portland Harbour from a potential European invasion. Its squat, rounded structure was designed to deflect incoming cannon shot.

The castle is open daily from 10 am until 5 pm between March and October. Tickets costs are slightly seasonal, with an adult ticket costing between £9 and £12 on the day. Book in advance online for a 15% discount.

Castletown D-Day Museum

Just round the corner from the castle, you will spot some military vehicles, which are parked outside Castletown D-Day Museum. The museum describes itself as ‘an immersive D-Day experience‘.

D-Day, which took place on 6 June 1944, involved the simultaneous landing of tens of thousands of allied troops on five beaches in Normandy in northern France. Of these, many thousands of American troops embarked from Portland. At this hands-on museum, you can climb inside military vehicles or descend into a Nazi bunker as you learn more about this tumultuous period of history.

Museum opening times are seasonal. An adult entry costs £12.

In between the castle and the museum is a roundabout, from where you can access a footpath as you set off on the more rural portion of the path which circumnavigates Portland. The first, steep, uphill section is known as the Merchant’s Incline. This steep hill descending towards the sea was once a gravity operated railway. The railway ran for two miles, bringing stone down from various quarries to a pier at Castletown. The view is (almost) worth the climb.

At the top of the hill, it’s easy to get lost (or rather, I got lost) as you pick your way between Portland’s prisons, before the Coast Path finally arrives near the coast.

Portland Museum

Just off the path is the diminutive Portland Museum, which tells the island’s history. It was closed when I visited.

The museum is open during peak season, operating daily except Thursdays and Fridays from 10.30 am until 4 pm. Adult entry costs £5.

Rufus Castle

Overlooking the coast and pretty little Church Ope Cove, are the ruins of Rufus Castle perched precariously on the cliff side. The coast path passes right beneath the 15th Century castle, before descending to the cove by means of 151 steep stone steps – beware!

I got almost to the bottom of those stone steps (did I mention they were steep?) to find a sign saying that the footpath was closed!

Cue a grumpy, sweaty climb back up to main road. The path follows Southwell Road for around a mile, before it is possible to turn left and rejoin the original trail. The remaining couple of miles to Portland Bill take you along a path right by the water’s edge through the remains of several quarries.

The ‘Fishing Village’ is less a village, more a collection of beach huts surrounded by boats.

Portland Bill Lighthouse

At southern most tip of Portland, is the 41 metre tall Portland Bill Lighthouse. The lighthouse, which has stood here for over a century, has a Visitor Centre, where you can learn more about the building’s history, the local area and lighthouses in general. It is also possible to climb the 155 steps to the lantern room at the top. Still smarting from my recent 151 step ordeal, I decide to give it a miss and go in search of lunch…

The Lighthouse is open daily for much of year, from 10 am until 5 pm. Adult entry to just the Visitor Centre is £3. If you want to climb the lighthouse as well, the cost is £9.

Lunch at The Lobster Pot

Perched on the edge of Portland Bill is The Lobster Pot cafe. Not the best food I’ve ever had (my brother’s memoirs described his cheese medley sandwich as ‘OK‘, which is probably the best word to sum it up). And it’s rather pricey – aforementioned cheese medley sandwich cost a whopping £10.75. Add a small portion of chips and a drink and lunch cost me £17.25. However, you can’t fault that view…

From Portland Bill, it is time to follow the path back up Portland along the west coast through yet more quarries.

Tout Quarry Sculpture Park

Much of Portland’s landscape is defined by the love of Portland stone as a building material. There are quarries everywhere – over 100 in total. The disused Tout Quarry is now a Sculpture Park. You can wander around the site admiring around 60 sculptures amid the rocks.

The Sculpture Park is open year round and is free to visit.

Getting Back to the Start

This is a circular route. However, if, like me, you feel that covering 13 miles in one go is too much, the Portland Link bus runs down the middle of the island as far as Southwell.