PORTLAND & PORTLAND BILL

 The Bill (the pointy end of Portland) is an important way-point for coastal traffic, and so three lighthouses have been built to protect shipping, in particular from its strong tidal race and shallow reef. Although called the Isle of Portland, it's a peninsula, joined to the mainland by Chesil Beach.

The most recent lighthouse is the distinctively white and red striped Portland Bill Lighthouse, which was built in 1906 and is 35 metres (115 ft) high
It's one of the few places in Dorset with a FREE dedicated motorcycle park. The views across Chesil Beach and the Fleet as you descend the steep road back towards Weymouth are unsurpassed.

Pictured above, is the crane built to lower quarried stone onto waiting boats.

Portland is famous for 'Portland stone', a much-prized limestone cut from local quarries for centuries. It is white and tough, yet soft enough to be carved. It has been used in many famous buildings, including Sir Christopher Wren's St. Paul's Cathedral. Most of the quarries now lie abandoned, but one has been turned into a sculpture park, with art by local sculptors scattered along trails through the old stone workings.

Despite the huge amount of quarrying that has been done, Portland still has a visible rare medieval strip field system.

There is a mark on the seaward side of the lighthouse. Passing boats align the top of the obelisk with this mark to ensure that they are clear of the undersea reef 

Pulpit rock, left behind after quarrying