Portland's changing, making changes here too

Pause for thought... 

This Portland bill site has seen a few interesting changes over the last year and it has since then steadily grown in traffic and reach, slowly but surely... until a few months ago when it jumped, now it has doubled.

That is partly down to the facebook fan page set up for this site, partly down to YOU sharing it, partly down to my efforts elsewhere, partly down to Portland just being a great interesting place!

I'd like to say a massive thank you to all of you for commenting, sharing and most of all... being a reader.
So, just to share an update of sorts here and where's next for this site...

Portland Sailing academy and Hamm beach

PORTLAND sailing academy! 

Talking a nice walk over the Chesil beach Road with my youngest son, I stopped to snap the sailing academy where the 2012 Olympics will be, with it's new backdrop too, you can if you look closely (right click image to open enlarged in new window) see the search and rescue helicopter coming to land.

The revamped block of flats dominate the area, there are two blocks, one finished, one not... the one still looking as it did on the left shows how drab they were, the updated one on the right, looking bright and new really does make that difference.

Portland's sea defence is a success and an asset

Chesil's defences open! 

Portland's Chesil beach sits somewhat safely behind this sea wall, part of the sea defence system, which started in the 60's, it obviously works well as we saw the winter just gone when we had a magnificent storm which threw up some of the biggest waves we have had for over a decade, Chesil beach was battered for a while but thankfully held up to avoid what we know can happen, severe flooding.

Hard to believe the beach could be so rough when you see it's stillness in the summer.

Portland's Castletown, the strip!

Portland's Castletown,  a few 100 yards along this road to the right side and situated at the very bottom of the island where the old naval base was, the single street, YES, ONE street here running through Castletown, this one street was known locally as "the strip"... sailors, a few pubs, a few shameless local loose ladies and you can guess the rest...

Portland's Ope cove, pebble gardens and castles

Gateway to Church Ope Cove

Portland's Rufus castle stands above Church Ope cove, a small beach which is a dot on the landscape in comparison to Chesil beach, though it is one of Portland's secret treats of which mostly locals use.

Lucky us!

A small cove surrounded by cliffs and two castles plus a 13th century church ruins, hence the name.

Rufus castle, the drawbridge of which you see here atop the arch is the old castle, a ruin really, you walk under this arch to get to the top of the 152 (I think) steps leading down to the cove and beach.

The other is Pennsylvainia castle sat to the right and on the main road to this castle.

Chesil beach under summer blue skies

Chesil beach

The weather on Portland is still fantastic, far to good to be indoors and much to hot to miss out, considering what a winter we had, it's no surprise to see people making the most of the summer.

Looks like I am not the only one judging by the amount of people I have seen out enjoying it, diving, swimming, canoeing (as you see in the picture) fishing and some sunbathers... (hopefully being sensible with sunscreen!)

Isle of Portland, an alternative UK holiday

Portland is getting back to normal after the school half term, thankfully the whole week was great weather wise.

Lot's of people enjoying the sun and sea on the one and only Chesil beach, plenty of divers down here too.

Plenty of fishing to be seen, lot's of mackerel getting caught too, ideal on a BBQ, of course!

All in all it has been a good half term for everyone, apart from those who worked!

A good summer coming up and a good time for...

Portland's blooming

Portland's Victoria Sq flowerbed.

Victoria square, Portland visitors first view as they arrive, not the best place on Portland by far and that's something which needs sorting out badly yet this flowerbed is, like many of the others around the borough, maintained pretty well, not as nice as some others but at least it's got flowers on it! :o)

Portland's two main parts, tophill, underhill.

Underhill!

Having had a few people ask me what is meant when I write "underhill," or "tophill" I thought I should clarify that for everyone who doesn't know.

Portland to the locals is really made up of two main parts, which as you can guess are called "tophill" and "underhill"... the actual "hill" this refers to can be seen in this picture.

New Road, which runs from underhill to tophill can be seen running up through the very left of this picture.

That is really what we say here, "going up top" or "down under" when we mention where on the Island we are going to and meaning exactly that.

Portland's underhill park

The park. 

Portland has been bathed in great weather today, so I took a stroll to the local park, sat in the sunshine near the bowling green as you see here in the left bottom corner.

With the landscaped garden, the nice trees and shrubbery here, it's giving the place a foreign feel, it was relaxing.

In the middle of the picture you see some stones, just here is the benches, almost hidden back into the shrubbery, in high summer this is a blaze of colour.

The Isle of Portland, majestic!

Isle of Portland 

Majestic, the Isle of Portland ~ A real beauty eh?

You won't find many people to argue with you on that here, who are lucky enough to get to see it all year, under all the different skies we have.
Take a walk around the island for a day (don't forget the camera!) and it's a place you won't forget in any hurry.

That's exactly what I have done a few times and I am hoping to do more with the many pictures I have, something I will be sharing the details of with you all here very soon, just getting that sorted out and I am hoping you like it.

Portland Bill community's new portal

As many of Portland Bill readers know we also have the community site which as I posted about here recently, is having to undergo some unwanted changes due to Nings short sighted kick in the teeth to members.

Portlanders as it was will close in July or sooner, now I have found an alternative, which is not yet as rich as ning in some aspects, though it is looking like a good alternative, for now at least.

I am hoping many of you will join the new site and if you have any issues, please do let me know about them and I'll do what I can to help resolve it.

The Isle of Portland's gateway

Isle of Portland's "gateway" (wrong place!)

The Isle of Portland's gateway, apparently, which most of us on Portland would disagree with, knowing the real gateway is at ferry bridge, which sits on the other end of the causeway (beach road) leading off the island, from where the picture banner at the top of this blog was taken and...

Notice that big square sign, that IS the Welcome to Portland sign!

Portland's old lamps

Overlooking Chesil Beach :o)

Portland like elsewhere has been getting the new lampost(s) with the white light that have started replacing the old orange ones everywhere.

Not sure if that's a good move in some ways, nice when you are walking but for drivers, seeing cars coming round corners before it happens, due to the headlights, is not happening mainly because they don't distinguish from the new street lamps.

Whereas the old orange ones certainly did and you knew a car was coming everytime and they knew you were coming.

Wonder what the "stargazers" think too, considering the impact on light pollution, has that got worse, better?

Portland's Royal Manor Theatre

Portland Theatre :o)

The Isle of Portland does have it's own Theatre which almost everyone who comes the Island passes... a big building yet due to being located on the hill in Fortuneswell it's easy to miss... oddly.

Standing opposite it you realise how imposing a building it is, the fact it's on a hill makes it seem more so.

It is one of Portland's Grand buildings really, not that many of them these day's but, it's built to last.

Easy to imagine that this was the centre of the community entertainment back in the day, still being used to this day but obviously with these modern times and how things have changed, not as often as at one time.

Portland's crazy brand new...

... idea and you read it here first!

Portland's Old Scuba shop, that blue building and car park in the foreground with the new view behind it overlooking PORTLAND's harbour, thus sailing academy too.. the 2012 sailing is here on PORTLAND... nothing to do with Weymouth...

I digress! :o)

Dad being a diver, took me and my brothers down there a few times back in day, in some way's I am surprised that building is still there, amazing some company hasn't jumped on it.

This is a prominent site on arrival to Portland, a good sized car park too, yet they removed the skate park that was sat behind this building, shame, but...as usual there is not alot to do for the younger generation...

Portland, first impressions last

Very weathered stone! :o( 

When coming to Portland you see the two big columns sat on the patch of grass before the main roundabout, this patch of grass is where the fairground was last week.

The columns were put up a few years ago as a memorial, a "gateway" too.

Having got a close look at them I have to say...

The stone at the bottom of these columns is very weathered, to the point the writing is unreadable, quite surprised at that seeing that, considering the fact they are not old.

On the other side of this is a plaque fitted which is ok, so not sure if the stone was already worn, reused or what?

Maybe one of you eagled eyed readers will know better than me?

Portland's St Georges centre, St Georges day

St Georges day is soon upon us, 23rd April, a day England rarely celebrates as it should do... shame on us for that, this is something England should have embraced more not less over the years, look at the very widespread St Patrick day celebrations, we in England even celebrate it more then St Georges day!

A day where there should be an abundance of our white flags with the red cross in the streets, not stopped by the council...

Portland's sunset on the beach

Sunsets on the beach....

What can possibly beat that for an amazing sight of natural wonder?

Here on Portland we are lucky to be able to enjoy the sunset on the beach, almost daily.

Sitting on Chesil beach watching the sun setting, on Chesil beach, fantastic.