Organiser: Lindsay    Distance(miles): 8

Description: The walk: 8 miles. Mostly flat and good underfoot this is easy. The first 5 miles are along the coast path on the east side of Portland with views of the harbour, national sailing academy and Jurassic coast. We then reach Portland Bill where there are public toilets, a tea room, lighthouse, lots of interesting rock and coastal formations and an information centre. From Portland Bill it is 3 miles along the western side of Portland to Tout Quarry with fantastic views over Lyme Bay and Chesil beach. At Tout Quarry (SY686727) walkers can either make their way back to the start point (within view about 100m away) or they can take their time to try and spot the sculptures at Tout Quarry. Tout Quarry sculptures: Entrance is free. The abandoned Tout Quarry is now a sculpture park and is used to display an amazing collection of carvings and artefacts which have been created since 1983. The sculptures found within the quarry landscape have been carved into the rock face and quarry boulders, constructed from the shale or worked from the quarry landscape itself. The sculptures found within Tout Quarry have been made possible through bursaries and residencies organised by the Portland Sculpture Trust. If you are lucky you may see artists at work. What to bring: packed lunch (we will probably have lunch at Portland Bill but the tea rooms might not be open). Clothing suitable for hot, cold, windy and wet – Portland is exposed and conditions can change quickly. Toilets: there are no public toilets at the start of the walk. The only public toilets on the walk are at Portland Bill. If travelling by car I recommend stopping at the Chesil beach visitors centre on the A354 (clearly signposted on the right as you cross from Wyke Regis into Portland) at SY668755 (nearest postcode: DT4 9XE) this has public toilets and is only about 10 mins drive from the start. How to get there: By road: A354 into Portland – follow signs for through traffic – at roundabout with Heights Hotel take the first exit signposted to viewing and free parking areas. The war memorial is on your left with car parking areas adjacent and along that road. Parking is free. Car sharing: car sharing is encouraged. If you are interested please place an appropriate post on the relevant discussion thread on this website forum (you will need to log in to do this). By public transport: From Weymouth there is a frequent bus service to Portland. The buses are numbers 1 and 601. The Sunday timetable can be found here : http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/southwest/dorset/timetables/timetable.php?day=3&source_id=2&service=1/601&routeid=1228931&operator=7&source=sp I recommend telephoning (0871 200 22 33) the bus company to check the route to see if they go past the Heights Hotel which is where you should get out.

Start Point: The war memorial across the road from the Heights Hotel with view points overlooking Chesil beach at: • Grid ref: SY688730 • Lat (WGS84) N50:33:22 (50.556027) • Long (WGS84) W2:26:29 (-2.441497) • Nearest postcode: Heights Hotel: DT5 2EN

Grid Ref: SY688730    Walks Grade: Leisurely