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).

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 has been used to build notable structures such as the Cenotaph memorial, Buckingham Palace and St. Paul's Cathedral. In addition to being exported abroad. The island's castles, Portland Castle, Pennsylvania Castle and Rufus Castle 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. HMP Portland is still active as a young offenders' institute.

There is a strange superstition where rabbits are considered bad luck. Use of the name may still be taboo, so the creatures are often euphemistically referred to as "underground mutton", "long-eared furry things" or just "bunnies".

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. 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. Return fares are £15 adults and £10 for children.

Get around


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 (+44 1305 821600)

Do


There are plenty of recreational activities in the area such as:
 * Sailing
 * Windsurfing
 * Rock climbing
 * Cycling and walking around the island on the clifftop-coastal path
 * Diving

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.

Connect
Portland has 4G from all UK carriers. As of March 2022, 5G is creeping its way along the road causeway but has not yet reached the island.

Go next
All transport routes take you back to Weymouth.