Portland Bill

Our internet is still causing problems so this is yet another backblip!

N's big birthday today so we took the opportunity and went out for the day after rearranging my tasks for this afternoon's WEA lecture.

We drove straight down to Portland and drove along to the end, Portland Bill. The weather was mild and dare I say it, warm! Portland Bill is lucky to have three lighthouses, although only one is in working order. The other two are the bird observatory and the other a private dwelling, once the home of a well-known person but as always, her name has slipped my memory! ( Last Sunday's Countryfile mentioned her on their article on Portland)

Portland stone is famous the world over and it has been quarried since at least medieval times if not before. But it really took off after the fire of London when a lot of rebuilding took place. In those days, right up to the middle of the 19C when the Ferry Bridge was built, the island really was an island with the sweeping Chesil Bank forming a causeway along one side. Stone was brought down to the water's edge by heavy horses and lifted by these cranes into boats and taken away. This side of the island must have been extremely dangerous as the Portland Race, an area of rough sea off the Bill, has caused many wrecks throughout time.

After a lovely fresh crab sandwich and a walk about we were on our way, stopping at Fleet Church, a Georgian church built to replace the one which the great storm of 1824 ruined, along with most of the village. This is Moonfleet territory where the Mohun family lived. Next stop West Bexington, another small and mainly holiday community by the Chesil Beach and a large empty car park with a grand view of the coast all the way down to Portland in one direction and Lyme Bay with Golden Cap in the other.

Home for cake and champagne! Later on four of us went out to supper at one of our favourite haunts. I think he had a happy day!