We picked a fantastic day for our team awayday with clear blue skies and just the faintest hint of a breeze. With suncream, snacks and plenty of water packed – we were ready to set off and explore the island.

Starting at New Ground we fuelled up with a quick coffee stop at Portland Heights Hotel and admired the view back across Chesil Beach towards Weymouth.

Portland Ghost tunnels

Taking a circular walk around the island we had earmarked several points of interest to see along the way. Our first stop was the spooky underground network of ghost tunnels and bridges near Fancy’s Farm.

Having grown up on Portland and in Weymouth, Adam and Jay-Jaye were our knowledgeable tour guides for the day, providing anecdotes and Portland folklore along the route.

Church Ope Cove

Our second stop was the viewpoint over Church Ope Cove. This was another haunting part of the island to explore as the area has a reputation as a Pirate Graveyard due to the skull and crossbones on some of the old tombstones.

Lunch at the Lobster Pot

Roughly half way around the tour of the island we reached Portland Bill – it was time to stop for delicious lunch and refreshment at the Lobster Pot.

A fantastic restaurant with great service and amazing coastal views. Feeling slightly stuffed we set off for the second half of the tour…

Portland Bill and Pulpit Rock

One of the most popular parts of Portland is the Portland Bill Lighthouse. It is the southernmost point in Dorset and the area is often regarded by both locals and visitors as one of their all-time favourite places to be. The perfect location to relax to the sound of the waves crashing gently against the rocks. No day trip to Portland would be complete without it!

Pulpit Rock is situated just beyond the lighthouse – a coastal feature thought to represent an open bible leant against the rock. Some of the team couldn’t resist!

Scenic Westcliff Walk

The next part of our tour was a coastal walk along western edge of the Isle. This provided a great chance to gaze out to sea and spot some of Portland’s abundance of birdlife.

Some legs were starting to feel it at this point so a couple of rest stops were needed before the last part of our exploration.

Tout Quarry Sculpture Park

For the final part of our Portland day trip we explored the fascinating Tout Quarry Sculpture Park. Some of the intricately shaped sculptures had relevance to Portland’s history while others seemed to be more random and have a less obvious connection. All weird and wonderful in their own way!

The circular walk of just under 10 miles was now complete. We returned to the New Ground Viewpoint – happy and fulfilled!