Tout Quarry Sculpture Park
Posted June 15th, 2010 | No Comments
For a new spin on a walk whilst in Portland, why not visit the Tout Quarry Sculpture Park. The abandoned quarry is situated between the cliff’s edge and the road to Portland Bill on the northwest corner of Top hill. You can access this quarry by walking along the road to Fortuneswell, turning right onto Wide street, then right again at the Tradecroft Estate. It is at the bottom of the hill.
In 1983, the Tout Quarry Sculpture project began to make something beautiful out of a deserted old spot that had lost its usefulness. Now, visitors are able to walk through the quarry exploring the wide variety of different works of sculpted art. And, with so much displayed, you could visit every year and still see something new each time.
New to the park is the stone lithophone, an instrument made entirely of stone. Dame Evelyn Glennie, percussionist, is set to play this remarkable instrument, for the opening ceremony of the sailing event for the 2012 Olympics. To make this, each stone had to be painstakingly sculpted and tested to produce a specific tone.
For those that are keen to take this experience into a more active role, it is possible to take courses in stone sculpture via the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust. They offer weekend, 1 week, 2 week, and 4 week courses on selected dates throughout the year.
Portland Bill 3 Lighthouses Walk
Posted January 15th, 2010 | 1 Comment
Portland is an excellent place to visit if you enjoy walking. This post features the 3 Lighthouses Walk. This walk is recommended by the fantastic website ‘walks for softies’.
It’s a 3.5 mile moderate rated walk.
Any visitor to Portland is likely to want to visit the lightouse at Portland Bill, and this walk is an excellent way to take in the lighthouses, and the southern coast of Portland.
The website has a printable photo guide to ensure you can easily find your way, as well as informatoin about ameities, and some good photos of what you have in store.
There are also many other excellent walks listed local to Portland - all along the Jurassic Coast and within the Dorset region. You can view local walks offered by site by clicking here.
To view the 3 Lighthouses Walk - click here.
BBC Railway Walks takes you to Portland
Posted April 8th, 2009 | 2 Comments
Did you watch the BBC Railway Walks programme on Monday 6th April? Julia Bradbury walked the route of the old Weymouth to Portland railway line.
Download the Railway Walk Leaflet – Click Here.
Download 5 local walks based around Weymouth – Click Here.
