Excursion Ideas - Portland Port (Dorset) United Kingdom

Hello,

Hoping you guys can help me! Do you guys have any suggestions for tours. I don't want to go on one of the organised excursions. I'd like to do something a bit different.

I am kind of stuck though! I like walking but I also don't mind small vehicle tours either.

Any suggestions very welcome

The Swannery

Corfe Castle

wander around Weymouth

depends on your interests

https://www.visit-dorset.com/explore/towns/portland

Thanks for those. That's a great starting point. Thanks again

we also went to Portland castle & Dorchester

do not miss Fish n Chips in Weymouth

or afternoon Tea along the way

If you go to the Swannery plan to go when they have feeding time

http://abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk/swannery/prices-opening-times/

Thank you! I do like the look of the Swannery, but the island itself look so unusual I might try and take a look at it too

Hello. I was just in that port yesterday and had an amazing tour (someone on our roll call booked for 6 of us) I took a picture of the van and can't remember the name right this moment but it was a VW wagon and the tour guide was Darren. His van is called Snowey. We went all around town, he was extremely knowledgeable and kind. The highlight is the Jurassic coast. We stopped in town for a visit at a local pub called the greyhound. Wonderful fish and chips.

When I get back to my cabin I will send you the company's name. I will attempt to add a picture of the pub and castle we visited last. Have fun and if your doing a British aisle tour feel free to contact me at twoznuff@gmail.com and I will give you any info I have as I am on an 11 day with NCL right now.

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Portland Castle is hardly an outstanding example, but it's only a 10 minute walk from the port. Mebbe wortth tacking onto the beginning or end of your day.

Ships normally provide a shuttle (probably payable) for the 5-mile drive to the seafront at Weymouth. Weymouth is a traditional Victorian seaside resort, with a sandy beach & seafront prom, backed by little lanes of local touristy shops, pubs, cafes, fish&chip shops, etc leading to the harbour, smuggler's museum, etc. Enough to keep you amused for a cheap and lazy day.

I'm not up-to-date on the availability of taxis at the port

Or use the shuttle to get to Weymouth station for

- the train to the market town of Dorchester.

Maiden Castle is an ancient earthworks fortification just outside Dorchester - if it's your scene (it's not mine) you'll need a short taxi ride from Dorchester station< & arrange for the driver to collect you later. Or mebbe taxi all the way, it's only about 8 miles from Weymouth.

- further on the train, to Wool. A short taxi hop from here to http://www.tankmuseum.org/about-us or to http://monkeyworld.org/

Or a taxi from Wool the 5 miles to Lulworth Cove & a bracing walk along the Jurassic coast to Durdle Door & back.

- or even further on the train to Wareham & a 5-mile taxi ride to Corfe Castle (mebbe steam train Wareham to Corfe Castle if timings permit)

At all those places, arrange for the driver to come back to return you to the station.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Portland Bill (it's not an island, there's a narrow causeway connecting it to the mainland) is exceptionally wild and hilly - Portland stone is still its main (only??) industry. You'll not get far on foot before you expire ;)

You need personal transportation for Abbotsbury Swannery, it's about 12 miles.

With a rented car or tour there are lots of other options, including

- the Jurassic coast west thro Abbotsbury to West Bay and Bridport, mebbe even as far as Lyme Regis, then back across the Dorset Downs to Dorchester & back to Portland

- the Jurassic coast east to Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, and (across Kimmeridge Ledge if the road past the tank firing range is open, or the main road if it isn't) to Corfe Castle.

Car rental depots are on industrial estates on the outskirts of Weymouth - not very convenient, I don't know whether delivery is an option.

Or you can fix a private tour.

Somewhere on the threads on this link are details of tours cruisers have booked from Portland. Lots of other useful background too, though there's a fair few threads to wade through

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=107836351

JB :)

Lulworth cove and durdle door are beautiful on the Jurassic coast also Tyneham village is an evacuated village which still has the old school room set up and all of the empty shells of the houses and a lovely place to visit

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JB the shuttle was free when we went a few years ago

it is about the only way out unless you prebook a tour/taxi with port clearance

Our tour guide did not know he had to pre clear with the port authorities so he was delayed picking us up

We stopped at Portland castle on the way back to the ship

If you visit Weymouth then Nothe Fort is worth a visit if military structures are an interest.

http://www.nothefort.org.uk

A trip to the Lulworth estate also means you could visit Lulworth Castle, actually a mock castle built in the 17th century.

https://www.lulworth.com/visit/places-to-visit/castle-and-park/

We have friends in that area whom we visit every year and I think you would be best to organise a private tour. The highlights for me as a stranger to the area are Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove, amazing views over Chesil beach, Tyneham Village which the inhabitants had to vacate when the army requisitioned it in WW2 and Corfe Castle and the village and a trip on the railway if time allows.

If you decide to spend your time in Weymouth the nearest town there is a beautiful beach and shops. It's very much a traditional British resort so not much to see or do

I visit Dorset every month for a few days, and I would agree with some of the other posters - Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Corfe Caste, and the village of Tyneham (if it's open) would be my top picks

If you are relatively fit, the walk from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door is beautiful (it's not long, but up lots of steps)

Lots of nice pubs where you can stop for lunch, I love The Square & Compass, The Halfway Inn and The Weld Arms

I loved Weymouth. I soaked up the atmosphere and walked around. Then I took a public bus to the Portland Bill lighthouse. I think I also took a little inexpensive water shuttle (just a man rowing us across the river) which was fun. My photos are here: http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/weymouth__portland_great_britain&page=all

The shuttle was free for us as well, and it was mandatory if you were going off on your own - although I don't know where you'd meet a tour guide if you booked a tour. I'll check my notes in a little while and get back to you if I have more info. I also found a great pamphlet on the whole area. There's lots to do, but I ended up staying in Weymouth and Portland and had a great day. I'm not a huge beach lover, but Weymouth just had SO much character!

http://discoverdorset.co.uk/cruise-shore-excursions/

we have had language students who used the above company and were happy with them. I see they now meet from ships.

As others have said, Weymouth is a very nice, traditional seaside town and if the weather is nice then spending the afternoon on the beach there is lovely. Portland is pretty rugged and interesting to go down to Portland Bill and see the birds and the lighthouse, there is also a developing sculpture park on Portland which is nice to explore. Further afield to the west you have Abbotsbury Swannery which is unique and lovely in late May, early June when the chicks are hatching. To the east a tour of Lulworth, Durdle door and Corfe will give you a real feel for the area, or a visit to the tank museum for military history fans (it has a visiting tiger tank on display) or Monkey world (as seen on TV) are both well worth a visit.

We were there last week. Lovely area. We had free shuttles into Weymouth (Disney Cruise Line) and enjoyed walking through the town and along the boardwalk. The beach looked great but it was a bit cool that day. Lots of interesting shops to wander through. Several people recommend that we visit Nothe Fort - we were travelling with our 3 sons (ages 7-10). We did, and it was great. Very interesting and informative, for all ages. It was an easy walk from the shuttle drop off / pick up.

Enjoy your trip!

Hiya! Not sure if this is too late? We used http://DorsetTours.com who are based on Portland. We didn't want to go to Stonehenge this year and wanted something different and local. We chose the Jurassic Coast. Our guide was awesome and there is actually more to see than I thought. We even got to see where Broadchurch is filmed. We chose a Private tour for 6, but I think they carry up to 8 passengers. Speak to Sally, she was great! info@dorsettours.com

Returned last week from a cruise which called at Portland.

The shuttle bus into Weymouth was free and also made a stop along the way at Portland Castle. The bus finally stopped in Weymouth next to a car park with many taxis in it and a board offering various excursions by taxi. I thought people might like to know that that is the way to get a taxi tour, not direct from the ship.

We enjoyed walking around Weymouth and also went up the rotating viewing tower there, which was good.

There is also the swannery in Abbotsbury which is the only one of its kind in the world. Corte Castle is also nice.

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Our NCL Jade Transatlantic cruise is calling on Portland on April 2nd. Does anyone know if NCL offers the free shuttle to Weymouth?

Also, Weymouth looks like a very nice place to walk around, but taking the X53 Jurassic Coaster bus also looks like it would offer great views of the coast. I was thinking about taking that to Bridport, then returning to Weymouth. For those who have spend time in this area, do you think there will be time for all that or should we just keep busy in Weymouth.

The ship is in port from 8 to 6. The bus time from Weymouth to Bridport is just under a hour.

All ships provide a shuttle service from Portland to Weymouth.

Whether it's free - well, it's NCL :rolleyes: ;p

Yes, you could use the X53 Jurassic coaster from Weymouth (King's statue, where most ships' shuttles operate to) on the B3157 through Abbotsbury & along the coast to West Bay then Bridport (town centre stop, I think they call it Bridport Frosts). Bridport is very pleasant if unspectacular. It has a very wide main street, it was the centre of the jute & rope trade - main customer Nelson's Royal Navy - and rope-winding was done along the main street. As the name suggests, it was a port - but the river's now way too small for boats.

Then instead of returning same-way, take the X51 to Dorchester from the same stop / opposite side of the road. There's a 7 minute connection time - or an hour & seven minutes if you want to wander Bridport

The route gives you distant but elevated views of the coast as you cross the Dorset Downs on the A35.

At Dorchester the best stop for the town centre is Trinity Street. For the excellent market (Wednesdays) or trains to Weymouth it's Dorchester South station.

Return to Weymouth by train from Dorchester South (takes about 15 minutes, currently half-hourly service but there's rumbles about reducing the frequency) or by bus from Trinity Street or Brewery Square, depending which service number.

BTW X53 to Bridport takes 1hr 12 mins, X51 Bridport to Dorchester 48 minutes.

If that all sounds too much bother (and IMHO neither Bridport nor Dorchester are particularly special) you could make it a lazy day in Weymouth. Victorian seaside resort - seafront, little lanes to explore, smugglers museum, pubs, fish-and-chippies, shops, boat trips, etc.

Portland Harbour was the base for the sailing events in the "London" Olympics, the races were held in Weymouth Bay.

Somewhere in Portland harbour (it's huge) are a couple of caissons from the temporary Mulberry Harbour erected on the Normandy coast in the days after D-Day. There's another near the Royal Pier in Southampton and several others elsewhere, all recycled post-war.

JB :)

That's great information. It does sound like Weymouth is quite nice and we could save the time spent on the bus. I just wondered if the Jurassic Coast was a worthwhile side trip.

"Somewhere in Portland harbour (it's huge) are a couple of caissons ............"

Found them on google streetview. Near where your ship berths.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.5681825,-2.442019,3a,30y,352.93h,90.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIM8DqS1PRHY-FFm5D_tYLw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

JB :)

John Bull mentioned that shuttle buses usually drop off at the King’s Statue, from where you can catch the bus you were enquiring about. However on our Disney ship, the shuttle did not drop off there, it stopped south of Weymouth Harbour, the other side of town from the statue.

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John Bull mentioned that shuttle buses usually drop off at the King’s Statue, from where you can catch the bus you were enquiring about. However on our Disney ship, the shuttle did not drop off there, it stopped south of Weymouth Harbour, the other side of town from the statue.

 

 

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Thanks for that marylizcat. - I was hedging my bets by saying "usually".;)

But assuming the Disney drop point was close to one of the bridges it's no more than a ten minute walk to the King's Statue stops on the seafront Esplanade.

Floridian - from the bus to West Bay you get some nice views of Chesil Beach & "the Fleet" behind it, and of the Jurassic coast after Abbotsbury, and Bridport has a small but interesting town museum which includes a Jurassic fossil section. But to appreciate the coast you really need to walk some of it - the only place you can do that from the bus is at West Bay, and because the X53 is (I think) only a two-hourly service that commits you to West Bay for two hours & the place isn't worth that long.

The main village for the Jurassic coast is Lyme Regis but that's a further 10 miles (40 mins on X53 & X51) west of Bridport. Much more worthwhile but possibly making it too long a day for your time in port.

Earlier in the thread are mentions of Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door (and there's more besides) - that's much more worthwhile walking territory but it's east of Weymouth & needs a tour or rented car (or mebbe train to Wool then short taxi tour).

Visiting on a cruise ship port-of-call has its limitations. :(

JB :)

On 5/25/2017 at 11:27 AM, porridgeuk said:

Lulworth cove and durdle door are beautiful on the Jurassic coast also Tyneham village is an evacuated village which still has the old school room set up and all of the empty shells of the houses and a lovely place to visit

 

 

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I am arriving there on May 11, 2022 and would like to go there from the cruise harbor and perhaps walk from Lulworth to Durdle door if that is possible????  How would I get to the point that I begin walking? Thanks in advance for the information! Helen