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CRUISING TO ENGLAND:
DOSET, ENGLAND |
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Although the port and the cruise lines tend to emphasize Portland as a gateway to such famous sites as Stonehenge and Bath, there are worthwhile attractions much closer in Dorset itself. On this page, we present a few of these.
One of Dorset's most important attractions is its beautiful scenery. The rural countryside was the setting and inspiration for the novels of Thomas Hardy and thus the area is often called “Hardy Country.” A drive through the country reveals villages and farms that retain the charm of bygone times. 
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One of the strangest attractions in Dorset is the Cerne Giant. Carved into the side of a hill near the village of Cerne Abbas is a figure of a naked man wielding a knobbed club. He stands 180 feet high and is 167 feet wide.
No one is really sure who carved the giant or who the giant is supposed to be. Theories run that he is an Iron Age god, the Roman mythical hero Hercules, an abott who was expelled from his monastery, and a satirical comment on Oliver Cromwell's Puritan reign in the mid-17th century. Because of the figure's disproportionately large penis, the giant is sometimes called the “Rude Man.” According to local folklore, women could enhance their fertility by sleeping atop the figure. The figure was made by removing the grass and digging a trench one foot wide and one foot deep into the chalk that underlies this area. The best place to see the Cerne Giant is from the viewpoint off the A352. There is also a footpath that goes around the figure but the carving itself is fenced off. |
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Much more is known about the Osmington White Horse. This carving was done in 1808 to honor King George III who holidayed at nearby Weymouth 14 times during his reign. It shows the King riding his favorite charger Adonis. Unfortunately, due to illness, the King never visited Weymouth after the carving was done and thus never saw it.
The carving is 280 feet (85 m) long and 323 feet (98 m) high. It can be seen from the A353. |
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Running between Portland and Abbotsbury is Chesil Beach. At 18 miles long, it is the largest tombolo in the UK. The beach is made up of some 18 million pebbles ranging from the size of a fist to the size of a pea.
During the Age of Sail, the beach was the site of many shipwrecks. Because of its low population density, during World War II, the British used it for testing new weapons including the bouncing bombs made famous in the Dam Buster raid. Today, the area is popular with fishermen and nature lovers. It has its own visitor center. |
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Dorset has strong military connections. Recalling Doset's role in the preparations for the D-Day landings and supplying the subsequent campaign in continental Europe is the Castletown D-Day Centre in Portland (right).
British troops, including armored formations, still train in the Dorset countryside. The Tank Museum in Bovington has some 300 tanks and military vehicles. 
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For more about cruising to England:
Click here for our England home page Click here for our London home page |
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Cruise destination - England - Dorset