In September 2019, Debra and I cruised the British Isles for 14 days on the Pacific Princess. We sailed round trip from Dover, with port stops in England, the Republic of Ireland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Click HERE to read a short introduction about this awesome cruise.
This story, which is part of a series, is about our day on the Isle of Portland, the second port of call on our cruise.
This story, which is part of a series, is about our day on the Isle of Portland, the second port of call on our cruise.
Isle of Portland, England (September 11, 2019) – We set sail from St. Helier near dinnertime last evening and crossed the English Channel to the Isle of Portland. The word “Isle” in Isle of Portland is somewhat of a misnomer, as Portland is not a true island. Rather, it is a “tied island,” meaning that it is connected to the mainland by a bar (or bank) of beach material. In the present case, this is Chesil Beach. You’ll see Chesil Beach in a photo at the end of my story.
The sky was overcast, the temperature was in the upper 50s, and it was drizzling. In other words, typical weather. No matter though, as Debra and I added a layer for warmth and donned our rainproof jackets as we got ready for our tour. We also grabbed our umbrellas – although the rain stopped soon after the tour started.
Debra was in charge of choosing our tour, and to paraphrase Yoda, the legendary Jedi Master, Debra chose wisely! You see, our tour stopped at two sites that were unique to this area of England. And, along the way we saw some of the countryside of Dorset County.
As we drove north from Portland, we passed through the seaside town of Weymouth, about midway along the Jurassic Coast of England. This cliff-lined coast, which stretches 95 miles from Studland Bay in the east to Exmouth in the west, is steeped in geological history. In 1811, fossil hunter Mary Anning unearthed one of the most famous dinosaur fossils, the long skull of an ichthyosaur, in the nearby town of Lyme Regis. Alas, we wouldn’t be hunting fossils today. However, we will have a close-up look at a relative of those long-ago dinosaurs.
We passed through several small villages as we continued north, including Chickerell and Portesham, and caught our first glimpses of the green pastures and rolling hills that make up this part of Dorset County.
The sky was overcast, the temperature was in the upper 50s, and it was drizzling. In other words, typical weather. No matter though, as Debra and I added a layer for warmth and donned our rainproof jackets as we got ready for our tour. We also grabbed our umbrellas – although the rain stopped soon after the tour started.
Debra was in charge of choosing our tour, and to paraphrase Yoda, the legendary Jedi Master, Debra chose wisely! You see, our tour stopped at two sites that were unique to this area of England. And, along the way we saw some of the countryside of Dorset County.
As we drove north from Portland, we passed through the seaside town of Weymouth, about midway along the Jurassic Coast of England. This cliff-lined coast, which stretches 95 miles from Studland Bay in the east to Exmouth in the west, is steeped in geological history. In 1811, fossil hunter Mary Anning unearthed one of the most famous dinosaur fossils, the long skull of an ichthyosaur, in the nearby town of Lyme Regis. Alas, we wouldn’t be hunting fossils today. However, we will have a close-up look at a relative of those long-ago dinosaurs.
We passed through several small villages as we continued north, including Chickerell and Portesham, and caught our first glimpses of the green pastures and rolling hills that make up this part of Dorset County.
A Latter-day Dinosaur?
A new dinosaur fossil was discovered in Mongolia in 2017. This turkey-sized dinosaur, which was dated to 70 million years ago, had a bill with teeth and flipper-like arms and feet with claws – a scary creature, to be sure. A writer for The Atlantic dubbed it the “murder swan.” This discovery was another reminder that modern-day birds were descendants of dinosaurs.
Well, we didn’t see a “murder swan” today, but we did see a large colony of mute swans at the 600-year old Abbotsbury Swannery. “What is a swannery?” you ask. It’s a place set aside for swans to be bred and kept. And your next question might be, “Is a mute swan really mute?” No – the name comes from it being less vocal than other species of swans. The Abbotsbury Swannery is the only managed colony of free-flying mute swans in the world. As I said earlier, Debra chose a unique experience!
A new dinosaur fossil was discovered in Mongolia in 2017. This turkey-sized dinosaur, which was dated to 70 million years ago, had a bill with teeth and flipper-like arms and feet with claws – a scary creature, to be sure. A writer for The Atlantic dubbed it the “murder swan.” This discovery was another reminder that modern-day birds were descendants of dinosaurs.
Well, we didn’t see a “murder swan” today, but we did see a large colony of mute swans at the 600-year old Abbotsbury Swannery. “What is a swannery?” you ask. It’s a place set aside for swans to be bred and kept. And your next question might be, “Is a mute swan really mute?” No – the name comes from it being less vocal than other species of swans. The Abbotsbury Swannery is the only managed colony of free-flying mute swans in the world. As I said earlier, Debra chose a unique experience!
The swannery was established by monks from the nearby Benedictine abbey in 1393. Now, I can’t tell you with certainty that this is true, but I can tell you that this was what our tour guide told us about the monks and swans: The monks, in accordance with their Order, were restricted to a fish diet. So they decreed the swans to be fish in order to add fowl to their diet. If true, then clever they were!
This, though, I can tell you with certainty is true: In England, all swans were owned by the king or queen, and still are…except for swans that are privately owned. The swans at Abbotsbury Swannery are, for the most part, privately owned. So how does the staff at the swannery know if a swan is a Royal or private fowl? By the color of its leg band, of course! All Royal swans sport yellow bands, like the one in the photo to the left. In the photo to the right, you can see white bands on many of the swans – they are privately owned. And what about unmarked swans? By default, they are owned by the Royal family, and are marked with a yellow band. The bands are important because the Royals’ swans will migrate here from time to time.
This, though, I can tell you with certainty is true: In England, all swans were owned by the king or queen, and still are…except for swans that are privately owned. The swans at Abbotsbury Swannery are, for the most part, privately owned. So how does the staff at the swannery know if a swan is a Royal or private fowl? By the color of its leg band, of course! All Royal swans sport yellow bands, like the one in the photo to the left. In the photo to the right, you can see white bands on many of the swans – they are privately owned. And what about unmarked swans? By default, they are owned by the Royal family, and are marked with a yellow band. The bands are important because the Royals’ swans will migrate here from time to time.
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There was something else special about the Abbotsbury Swannery: We could walk through colonies of nesting mute swans. We wouldn’t be able to do this in the wild, as swans don’t nest in colonies. Instead, wild swans generally nest as mated pairs, and the pairs are territorial. At the swannery, though, the mute swans have shed their DNA, so to speak – while still monogamous, having a single mate for life, the colony grows seasonally to nearly 1,000 swans and they don’t seem to mind each other (or us!).
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Debra and I loved this opportunity to get “up close and personal” with these beautiful birds – the second-largest waterfowl species – as we wandered along the path through the sanctuary. We saw the graceful, pristine white adult swans with black-rimmed orange beaks and their gray-feathered cygnets, which were nearly full-grown.
As we strolled among the swans, we were surprised by a loud sound overheard. We looked up to see a pair of adult swans flying over us, their beating wings making a loud rhythmic hum! We learned that this distinctive noise can be heard up to half a mile away.
The Subtropics of England?
When Debra chose our tour, little did we know that we would be visiting a subtropical clime. After all, who thinks of England – anywhere in England! – as subtropical. But when we arrived at the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, we learned that there were, in fact, subtropical climes outside the region typically associated with then. Now we were in one! The first clue that something was different was when we got off the bus: The air temperature was decidedly warmer than it was just a couple of miles down the road at the swannery.
I found a WiFi connection at the gardens and read this bit of information published by the Royal Horticultural Society of England: “In Dorset on the Jurassic Coast lies a garden that enjoys a climate more akin to parts of the Mediterranean than southern England. Key to the garden’s success is its position. It lies in a sheltered valley, just a pebble’s throw from Chesil Beach. The area is naturally mild and sunny. Hills to the north shelter the site, and moisture-laden sea air provides a warming effect.”
Ok then – Debra again chose wisely, and we were to have another a unique experience!
When Debra chose our tour, little did we know that we would be visiting a subtropical clime. After all, who thinks of England – anywhere in England! – as subtropical. But when we arrived at the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, we learned that there were, in fact, subtropical climes outside the region typically associated with then. Now we were in one! The first clue that something was different was when we got off the bus: The air temperature was decidedly warmer than it was just a couple of miles down the road at the swannery.
I found a WiFi connection at the gardens and read this bit of information published by the Royal Horticultural Society of England: “In Dorset on the Jurassic Coast lies a garden that enjoys a climate more akin to parts of the Mediterranean than southern England. Key to the garden’s success is its position. It lies in a sheltered valley, just a pebble’s throw from Chesil Beach. The area is naturally mild and sunny. Hills to the north shelter the site, and moisture-laden sea air provides a warming effect.”
Ok then – Debra again chose wisely, and we were to have another a unique experience!
The Subtropics of England?
When Debra chose our tour, little did we know that we would be visiting a subtropical clime. After all, who thinks of England – anywhere in England! – as subtropical. But when we arrived at the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, we learned that there were, in fact, subtropical climes outside the region typically associated with then. Now we were in one! The first clue that something was different was when we got off the bus: The air temperature was decidedly warmer than it was just a couple of miles down the road at the swannery.
I found a WiFi connection at the gardens and read this bit of information published by the Royal Horticultural Society of England: “In Dorset on the Jurassic Coast lies a garden that enjoys a climate more akin to parts of the Mediterranean than southern England. Key to the garden’s success is its position. It lies in a sheltered valley, just a pebble’s throw from Chesil Beach. The area is naturally mild and sunny. Hills to the north shelter the site, and moisture-laden sea air provides a warming effect.”
Ok then – Debra again chose wisely, and we were to have another a unique experience!
When Debra chose our tour, little did we know that we would be visiting a subtropical clime. After all, who thinks of England – anywhere in England! – as subtropical. But when we arrived at the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, we learned that there were, in fact, subtropical climes outside the region typically associated with then. Now we were in one! The first clue that something was different was when we got off the bus: The air temperature was decidedly warmer than it was just a couple of miles down the road at the swannery.
I found a WiFi connection at the gardens and read this bit of information published by the Royal Horticultural Society of England: “In Dorset on the Jurassic Coast lies a garden that enjoys a climate more akin to parts of the Mediterranean than southern England. Key to the garden’s success is its position. It lies in a sheltered valley, just a pebble’s throw from Chesil Beach. The area is naturally mild and sunny. Hills to the north shelter the site, and moisture-laden sea air provides a warming effect.”
Ok then – Debra again chose wisely, and we were to have another a unique experience!
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We spent an hour taking a self-guided tour. This was less time than we needed to explore everything, but adequate time for us to see a variety of the plants in bloom and lush vegetation. And what we saw was spectacular!
As we strolled through the gardens, we came across a rope bridge that spans a small creek. I thought, “Duty calls.” As I headed to the bridge, I handed my phone to Debra so that she could snap this pic of me as I navigated the bridge. I felt a bit like Indiana Jones at The Temple of Doom! Fortunately for me, I did not have to face Mola Ram and his thugs as I crossed the bridge.
The Top of Portland
Before we returned to the Pacific Princess, our tour guide took us to a plateau near the north end of the Isle of Portland. From there we looked down on the village of Fortuneswell and the coastline. Despite an overcast sky, the view was breathtaking! And we could see the reason for the “Isle” in the Isle of Portland – the sand bar otherwise known as Chesil Beach that stretched northward between West Bay on the left and Portland Harbor on the right.
Before we returned to the Pacific Princess, our tour guide took us to a plateau near the north end of the Isle of Portland. From there we looked down on the village of Fortuneswell and the coastline. Despite an overcast sky, the view was breathtaking! And we could see the reason for the “Isle” in the Isle of Portland – the sand bar otherwise known as Chesil Beach that stretched northward between West Bay on the left and Portland Harbor on the right.
London was the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but not all events were held in London. Weymouth was chosen as the sight for the sailing and windsurfing events. To celebrate its involvement in the Olympics, the city council commissioned a stone sculpture of the Olympic rings made of Portland stone. This sculpture was displayed in Weymouth during the Olympics and then relocated to Portland after the games ended. It sits atop the plateau we were standing on, just a stone’s throw from the viewpoint. Chesil Beach is to the left of the rings in this photo, with Portland Harbor visible through the rings.
As we drove from the top of the plateau, we passed another sculpture, also made of Portland stone. These were the “Memory Stones,” 12 in total, which nearly-formed a circle. The work was created by artist Hanna Sofaer. Each of the 12 stones has a meaning. For example, the West Stone aligns with the sunset of the Spring and Autumn Equinox. A modern-day Stonehenge, perhaps.
Permission to Come Aboard, Sir
Debra and I were back on board the Pacific Princess early afternoon, just in time for a late lunch. Afterwards, we went to the Pacific Lounge, located on Deck 10, to read. We didn’t read for long, though, as it was time for group trivia. Debra and I joined Nina and Jim from Victoria, British Columbia, and collectively we knew most of the answers.
Debra and I were back on board the Pacific Princess early afternoon, just in time for a late lunch. Afterwards, we went to the Pacific Lounge, located on Deck 10, to read. We didn’t read for long, though, as it was time for group trivia. Debra and I joined Nina and Jim from Victoria, British Columbia, and collectively we knew most of the answers.
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Most everyone we meet while cruising has an interesting story or two, and over the next hour we learned Jim's story. Take a look at this photo and see if you can guess what it is.
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Did you guess that he was a seasonal Santa Claus? Yessiree! His “North Pole” is atop a mountain outside of Victoria. He said that he touches up his hair and beard with Snow White comb-in hair dye and showed us a picture of him in his red and white Santa Claus outfit. We also learned that he is an author and runs a workshop for young people who want to learn how to write and act. Jim's an interesting person, for sure!
Debra and I had dinner in the Panorama Buffet – we loved the large selection of food for each course, from appetizers to desserts, and the great service! After dinner we went to the Cabaret Lounge to listen to Michael Cairn, a singer and instrumentalist from Scotland. He sang and played songs from Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. He was quite good, and his show was the perfect way to end a delightful day!
We set sail from Portland early evening. We'll arrive in Falmouth tomorrow morning. This is the port town for the county of Cornwall, and tomorrow is the day that Debra has looked forward to the most…and in fact, was the main reason we booked this cruise. You’ll have to stop back, though, as I’ll save this story for another post!
Debra and I had dinner in the Panorama Buffet – we loved the large selection of food for each course, from appetizers to desserts, and the great service! After dinner we went to the Cabaret Lounge to listen to Michael Cairn, a singer and instrumentalist from Scotland. He sang and played songs from Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. He was quite good, and his show was the perfect way to end a delightful day!
We set sail from Portland early evening. We'll arrive in Falmouth tomorrow morning. This is the port town for the county of Cornwall, and tomorrow is the day that Debra has looked forward to the most…and in fact, was the main reason we booked this cruise. You’ll have to stop back, though, as I’ll save this story for another post!