Portland Swimming

It is rare that we go to the island of Portland on a sunny day, as there are few place it is safe to swim on the island, but if the weather is really calm, then you can swim from some amazing sites on the isle.
In mid August, we had a gloriously hot Saturday and knowing that the main beaches in Weymouth would be packed we decided to head for Portland. We began at a small, rocky cove close to Portland Bill.  A week or so earlier the sea looked like this; no-one in their right mind would swim from here!

..but when we set out, the sea was azure, calm, cool, and deep.

I love to get straight into the water, so stepping down onto ledges that almost formed steps into the water was perfect for a lovely dip!

There was also a huge rock pool, perfect for crabbing..

.. and the large flat rocks were ideal for sunbathing and a picnic!

After a cream tea at the nearby Lobster Pot, we headed off to Chesil cove, the Portland end of Chesil beach.

As a child I was told it was too dangerous to swim from this beach as the currents are too dangerous; I think most of the time this is true (as in the picture above), but occasionally on a very calm day you can swim from Chesil beach, especially at the more sheltered Cove end.

As you can see, on this day the sea was just perfect, the beach is extremely steep, and tricky to get in and out of the water, but completely worth it for a great swimming experience.

I have to admit, in all the years I have been going to Dorset, this is the first time I have swum off Portland; well worth the wait!