Guidance with Portland Port???

[bcnvcanada]

We have never been to Portland before, and please would

like some help planning our day here?   What is it like?

Are there good local transportation options?   Thank you

for any assistance.  

[John Bull]

There'll be a shuttle-bus  service from your ship about 5 miles to the Victorian seaside resort of Weymouth -  between the pleasant harbour & the seafront promenade (usually activities going on like sand-sculpturing, plus a Victorian bathing machine) is a network of narrow old-town streets with shops, pubs, cafes, fish & chips, etc. Also a smugglers' museum. Everything in walking distance, a relaxing choice for a fairly laid-back day.

 

There's a WW2 D-Day museum near (very walkable) to your ship, and a very small castle (Portland Castle), but they won't need more than a few hours of your time.

 

The port is secure, there aren't car rentals or taxis available on-spec at the port so if you want to venture further you need to pre-book a van  or taxi with a local operator.. Lots of places within an hour's drive - Corfe Castle, Monkey World, Bovington Tank Museum (rated the world's best),  Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove & blow-holes, the market town of Dorchester (and on its outskirts Maiden Castle - a Saxon earthworks, not a stone castle,) Chesil Beach (pebbles), Abbotsbury Swannery and the Jurassic Coast, West Bay and Bridport, and all backed by the Dorset Downs and little villages.

And Portland Bill itself - just a ten-minute diversion up the Bill for a panoramic view of the coast, Weymouth, Chesil Beach & The Fleet, and Portland harbour & your ship. 

 

You'll find more info, and suggestions for operators on these threads

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=Portland &type=forums_topic&nodes=148

 

I wouldn't recommend ships' excursions to Bath or Stonehenge, both are at some distance 

 

JB 

 

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Edited October 27, 2019 by John Bull

[Dorset cruise fan]

A recent thread on here by modernscarlett gives a link to dorsetdaytrips who provide cruise ship tours. I know nothing about them but they seem to provide a good overview of the area. I think John Bull has listed all the main attractions. Dorset is a rural county with the Purbecks being an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), also part of the Jurassic coast due to the unique geology of the area. So please don't come looking for big cities and culture but enjoy our stunning landscapes and coastline. We're not talking mountains and grandeur but rolling hills and thatched cottages. 

The tank museum is world class and not just for tank enthusiasts, Monkey World is lovely and good on conservation and rescue and the Swannery at Abbotsbury is unique and at its best in the spring when it's full of cygnets but interesting at any time of year and right on Chesil Beach.