Day 134 3/4/95 Around Portland

Weather: sunny and warm.
Distance: 20 km, (12.4 miles) 

I think this was my first circular walk as part of my walk around the coast.  I parked in the same place as yesterday and headed south to Portland Bill. The first mile was along the road to Fortuneswell. Then it was around the sea front where there were many divers evident - the wet-suited variety not the seabird sort.  I wondered if this is where the diver I saw the previous day had set out from. If it was, he'd drifted a very long way.

There was then climb up onto the cliffs and a beautiful cliff walk all the way to the Bill.  Why on earth is this section not on the official coast path? The contrast passing Weston was great. To the right was fine views of from the cliffs and to the right  were council flats. Portland Bill was packed with ornithologists looking out to sea and into the scrub grass. I stopped for tea but it was in a dingy cafe with dirty tea pots.  

The walk northwards on the eastern side of Portland Bill was initially along some lower cliffs and the way-marking was less clear. Past a large cave, more bird watchers and through disused quarries - I guess this is where the name Portland Cement comes from. After a short section on the road it was than down onto shallow cliffs again along to a small beach Church Op Cove. After this, instead of climbing up onto high cliffs as the waymarking suggested, I kept low as there appeared to be a path both on the ground and on the map. It looked fine for a mile or so, I passed a group of ramblers coming along a path and then past an MOD sign saying firing range but then I walked bang into a fence around a Young Offenders Prison. I found the fence went all the way down to the sea, and there was no way past it up onto the cliff top. Eventually, after backtracking about a half mile, I found a zig-zag path up onto the cliff top. This then led through the prisons farm and to the walls of the other prison.  It took me a while to realise why there were so many prisons around. If there was an escape there was only one road off the island.

Again I tried to find a way around the east of the prison but the well used path suddenly stopped at a sheer drop. The third time of getting lost was in the streets leading down from the prison to the naval helicopter base. Back to the car, a cup of tea and headed home. The car sounded rough and the next week I had to have it tuned, new breaks, and some problem on the steering.