24/8/26 Portland Bill & Weymouth

 

   Today we head to Portland for a look around , not worried about town so much , as we had a great day yesterday exploring Polruan . The road took us through a lot of rolling hills and brought us over a hill to this view of the coast . A long lagoon appeared that disappeared into the distance , with what looked like a sand bar between the lagoon and the ocean . 

Down the other end of that lagoon is Portland , and right on the point Portland Bill Lighthouse . When we got down to the carpark , the wind was near gale force , the ocean was covered in wind swell and waves - did I mention it was cool , no?? it wasn't cool it was bloody cold with a real chill about it .

There's an interesting stone fence near the roundabout .

The wind was blowing hard enough for a flock of starlings to take shelter on the back side of the roof of the lighthouse keeper .

Back in toward Weymouth and just above Castletown is a great lookout , it even has a hotel to go with it . We went to the lookout & Olympic Rings . This is where they held the sailing events when the UK had the olympics in 2012 .

Here's a closer look at the beach and lagoon which is called East Fleet and West Fleet . The beach isn't sand but is actually all pebbles - that's a lot of pebbles !!

Castletown down below is an older town and a wonderful range of colours in the houses .

The weather wasn't being user friendly , so we headed off up the road a bit further before finding somewhere to stop the night .The road took us through Puddletown , so we found a rugby complex where we could park and have our lunch . We found a place that sounded okay near the town of Lychett Matravers . It was Dolmans Hill Manor - sounds good ??? we got an email shortly after our purchase , stating that they are aware that the bathroom is in need of a renovation - it was scheduled for next month - alarm bells should have rang , but it was too late , they had our money . We got some food in at Lychett Matravers and headed out . The manor was a farmhouse in the country , so it was going to be quiet . We were in a section on the side . It had a kitchenette , lounge room and a large bedroom with dining table & 2 chairs - yes the dining table was in the bedroom . The bathroom was indeed in need of a renovation , I will leave it at that , but I won't recommend this place to anyone - AVOID it !! There was also a strange smell - like sprayed insecticide or oil and it was right through all the accomodation . It wasn't the ideal end to our little jaunt around Cornwall , but it's not over yet . Here's map link :- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1qB78lcEhwSdBwGDLe4S1r1U7ftIM5hE&usp=sharing