Exploring The Myths And Legends Of Portland, Dorset!
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Welcome to Walking The Wyrd!
The Isle of Portland in Dorset, has a rich maritime history and with that, many interesting local legends. From mermaids, to a pirate's graveyard, to Viking raids, Portland's folklore has been shaped by its history as an important place for smuggling and sea faring!
I began my walk at the north of the island near Tout Quarry, and headed south-east to the fascinating area of Church Ope Cove, whilst stopping to check out a Georgian church and it's gothic style graveyard. After next exploring the ruins of St Andrew's church (and the alleged pirate's graveyard!) I then headed west to check out Portland Bill and it's fabulous lighthouse. After a pit stop to refuel, I then made my way back north along the South West Coast Path until I reached my beginning point at Tout Quarry.
Sources:
Shipwrecks by Maureen Attwooll
portlandmuseum.co.uk
The Churches Conservation Trust
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As a Dorset boy and former resident of Portland, I can confirm that it's pronounced 'Towt'.
Great video, thank you.
@@leftpastsaturn67 thank you for clarifying this! I wasn't sure!
Was about to say the same.. t-out .
A marvellous, interesting and informative article. Portland is one of my sanctuaries, to where I retreat when I need to recharge. My feet have trodden many of the pathways used by you. Thank you. 😊
I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. Portland is such a fascinating place to visit. I hope to return!
My wife and I stayed in the old higher lighthouse for during a stormy weekend in March 2022 once. Now I don't really believe in ghosts but some very strange unexplainable things happened during our stay but we loved every minute.
This is great. Thank you. I can't go to Dorset without feeling that it's a county entirely knitted by benevolent grannies.
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Wonderful video. Absolutely love Portland and go every year to stay out at the Bill.
Thank you so much! I've been to Chesil beach, but never onto Portland, so this was utterly fascinating, and very unusual!
This was my first time on Portland having only ever been as far as Chesil Beach too! Definitely worth a visit, Kate! 😊
So this is the original portland , how nice it is and with splendid history ! Thnak you for another wonderful upload !!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
I have fond memories of portland i lived there back in the early 70s as a child ,on lived on verse common ,spent many hours playing in the common exploring the ghost tunnels and remember the pirates graves ,such a beautiful place.
Been to portland a few times its well worth the visit the one time we went there it was very foggy and the lighthouse foghorn was blasting out giving the area a spooky feel .great post nic well researched thankyou
Oh I bet that was atmospheric! I was hoping the sea mist would roll in to make the video a bit spookier! Thank you for watching 😊
Great video, thank you. Portland is such a wonderful place, hired an old fisherman’s cottage with a couple of friends and we swam in the sea every day, had bonfires on the beach and explored the island. Fun times. The MOD base there is an interesting place, it is the MOD Magnetic Range, because Portland stone has no magnetism, and the island isn’t near any major routes or magnetic interference, it is a great place to test equipment. It is magnetically clean. They test and collaborate compasses for the RAF etc.
That is so fascinating to know, Adam! I did wonder what they did in that MOD base. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Nic. Really enjoyed every minute of your vlog, and I haven't heard someone say" never eat shredded wheat " since school. Still say it in my head now. I worked on the island for about 2 months, years ago now, but it really does have an atmosphere. It was interesting when you said it was eerie. It's a one off place. Thanks again, great channel. 😊
Hello! Thanks so much for your kind comment! 'Never eat shredded wheat' has not failed me yet! 😄 I completely agree - Portland is a very unique place!
This is such a good video Nic! Hope you enjoyed your time with your family. Thank you and it is great to see you today. And what a beautiful little church.
Thank you as always, for watching! I really appreciate it 😊
Such a small place with so much to see. Really enjoyed this one! Church and graveyard were especially beautiful! Thanks, Nic! ❤
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it, Jodi! 😊💖
We moved to Dorset (near Stalbridge) 4 years ago. I found your walks about a week ago, we are hooked! We love your narration.
Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying them!
Quality, well done, ⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️🌊🌊
enjoyed every minute , beautiful. Thank you Nic 😀❤
Thank you so much, Panaka! Hope you're keeping well 😊
Splendid video Nic. The Tout Quarry Sculpture Park is such a great place to explore for sure. Although I love The Roy Dog, I think the sculpture of the Bear (which is to the East of him) is my favourite!
Ah I missed the bear! It's a great way to repurpose the old quarry, I really enjoyed looking around it. Thanks, Dave!
Lovely tour - thanks - I lived on Portland for 11 years but never went in St George’s Church. All Saints Church has a surprise on the ceiling above the altar rail.
I did read about the ceiling in the All Saints Church, but just didn't have time to stop there sadly. I will return! Thanks for watching.
Fascinated by the art in the query, how cool !
Good to see you back, hope you had a great time. Portland offers some breathtaking views, what a spectacular place. Thanks for sharing,❤.
Hi Iain! Thank you! Yes, the Quarry was very interesting, good to see it repurposed. Thank you for watching 😊
Really beautiful place
Used to holiday here a child it brought back wonderful memories. I been in hospital for a while now, this made my day thank you so much for this.
Well that's absolutely lovely to read! I'm glad it brightened your day. 😊
There is so much of interest on Portland.
There really is! I feel I only scratched the surface!
Portland is a wonderful place.
It really is. I loved my visit.
I used to live on Portland, and loved swimming at Portland Bill. Lovely to see it again.
How lovely! It's such a wonderful place. Thank you for watching!
I live just a minute's walk from Penn Castle in one of the oldest cottages on the island. The land behind us, just north of Church Ope is called Penn's Weare and that is where the stone came from to rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666 and St Paul's. Sir Christopher Wren chose the stone he wanted and it was marked with a 'Wren mark'. One of them didn't make it to London because it's in my hall!
There are so many stories here. I write about Portland every month for the free West of Dorset Magazine. It's online if you can't get here to pick up a copy.
Nice video, thank you! 😁
Thanks for the extra info! Portland is such a fascinating place.
Really enjoyed the stroll
Thank you so much, that's great to hear!
Great video well put together.- I walk the island every day and never get bored as so much to see ie Fancy farm/ Fall out shelter / Castletown/ Olympic sailing village/ Portland castle / Quiddles etc etc.
There is so much to see! I think I only scratched the surface! I will likely return one day.
Nice job. There's a lot to see there.
There is, it's a treasure trove for explorers!
Beautiful views. I'd be lost in the cemetery all day, it's odd but I enjoy graveyards.
You always do such a good job with your videos.
Thank you for sharing 🧡
You're so welcome, Julie! I enjoy exploring graveyards, too! 😊
Thanks enjoyed this one you do a terrific job safe travels ❤
Thank you kindly, Hugh! 😊
At St Georges church there is a grave stone, next to the roadside wall, which is the burial place of a Merchant Navy First Officer. It states that he was 'accidentally shot' by a steward.
Hi Nic, Gary Biltcliffe has researched Portland. His book ' The Myterious Isle of Portland' is well worth a read if you are interested in more details about Portland. Actually all and any of his books; also co-written with his partner Caroline Hoare are well worth reading. Very well researched.
What a fab explore 😀, and I didnt even have to leave the house 👍
I love the dog sculpture ❤
Thank you, Sarah! 😁
Loved the stories & loved the beautiful location ! Thank you Nic 😊♥️
Thank you Julie! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 😊 ❤️
Great vid.
Did a walk here back in March (organised by Abbie Barnes, name drop 😅) loved it. Haven’t been down there since I was very young.
Rugged terrain and blustery. Stunning scenery.
It's such a unique part of Dorset! Cheers, Andy!
I really enjoyed your video as I visited Portland when staying in Weymouth last May. I got off the bus south of Fortuneswell near a round fort which had no details, then took a footpath among small quarries and found a cave in a hollow with a big stone lintel, but didn't explore it. I also saw the knob of rock but forget it's name, and a large quarry nearby. And I think you're scrumptious!
@@bobkaye4440 thanks for watching! There certainly is so much to explore on Portland. A wonderful place!
Hello again Nic
Another lovely video, thank you . A few more myths and stories I’ve heard about Portland, my brother lived there for a number of years. The big church you first went in, has some holes in the back of some of those enclosed pews. The story was that they were for the tails of the local people 😂😂
When I visited once and spoke to the curator, he laughed, and showed me some holes that has been made by the preachers children, when they used to hide away during services, so they could spy on him . 😊😊
Did you know that it’s unlucky to say “Rabbits “ on Portland, as there had been cases of them burrowing under stones in the Quarry’s, making them unstable and falling on workers!
All the best
Alan
Love these additional bits of info! Thank you, Alan. I had heard about the Rabbits folklore but not the other things.
Spent 3 days here over the summer with my family...such a lovely place.
It really is!
Pretty cool to turn the quarry into a sculpture park...the Roy Dog looks amazing!
It's a great idea to repurpose what would be an empty site!
Looks lovely x
Sorry, I watched this earlier today without liking or commenting. Visited the Island twice. Once for a pen friend's wedding. Stayed in a pub that was literally the first pub on the island. Sae the outside of the Vern prison and the site of the high angle battery. Second time, we were staying self catering in Bournemouth. Visited the Portland Bill Lighthouse. It was open to the public back then and was extremely interesting. Visited Chesil beach , but did see any of those coves you showed. (My companion did not like to walk far) Lovely video
Thank you for coming back to leave a comment - much appreciated! It's such a lovely place to explore with so much to see.
The Shambles is a sandbank a few miles south of the Bill, it's one of the most treacherous bits of water in the UK, this is because of the Portland Race, a tidal overfall which throws up a savage sea with only the slightest bit wind, over the centuries its caused the loss of many a ship, and no doubt caused the loss of those ships you shown in the video...
Thanks, i thoroughly enjoyed the walk 👍
I did read about The Shambles but wasn't sure of its exact location, so thank you for this - and thanks for watching!
A 'merchicken' sounds hilarious and somewhat creepy - I have never heard that story before! 🙂
It's a wild one, isn't it?! 😄 I read your comment in your voice, now I've heard it.
@@walkingthewyrd I need to find a way to put the word in one of my videos now just for... reasons 😀
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The coast around Portland has stunning views. Thanks Nic!
Do you give history or ghost tours?
Hi Barry! No, I don't do history or ghost tours, but now you've said it, I really want to 😄
@@walkingthewyrd Haha! You should!
The Small Fortress thing at Portland Heights is an old Water Reservoir, not used now. The Quarry your talking about is 'Suckthumb', the small shelter/cave is a Quarryman's Shelter used for bad Weather in the past. The 'Nob' Structure sounds like , 'Nicodemus Nob', the remains of Quarry rock hewn out of an 'Admiralty Quarry' on the Grove Cliff top
Crackin video Nic, most inspirational. I was wondering why you didn't have the drone out and you got to the MOD training site, they might have shot it down 😅. I loved the quarry and also thought it had the feel of a graveyard, The Roy Dog was superb, so clever and skilled to have carved that. 👍🏻
Thank you, Mark! There are also two prisons on the island, so drone flying is only permitted with permission - I thought it was easier to just leave it at home this time! 😆 I'm pleased you enjoyed it. A fascinating place to walk. 😊
Thank you. Very interesting x
Thank you, Elaine!
Thanks very much.
Thank you for watching!
I imagine the Island made good use of all shipwreck materials
Ah yes! The local people were often accused of the wrecking of the ships' cargo - but who can blame them.
There in a few weeks 😊
Wonderful! Have a great trip!
@@walkingthewyrd pitty we could go there with a metal detector to see if these any relics around the church area
The Roy Dog reminds me of the film 'Never Ending Story'
In Bernard Cornwells Gail books, he references the place as the isle of the Dead? Not sure if that is made up or an old nick name for it
The olden days Pirates were the good guys in actuality not the scallywags they've been portrayed in movies.
Can't see any Fraggles or rock apes... just a little joke 😊 lovely upload as always a your channel xx
🤣 Yes, sadly no Fraggles! Thank you Carole.
"Walking the Wyrd".........same name as my wood canoe, from "The Way of Wyrd".........👍
Oh, that's lovely!
still brilliant , still a beautiful lady x
Thank you 😊
Hi, why do the locals not like the pirates graveyard? Enjoying your video very, it popped up on my recommendations.
Purely because those that are actually buried here were local people who had no part in piracy.
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Mermaids are awesome - look up the Mermaids pool in Derbyshire - she lures young men to the depths.
Alledgedly - the pool is connected to the sea.
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Oh wow! Yes, I shall have a look into that, thank you!
My nephew actually joined the Navy as he belived all the sea stories I told him. Snogged a mermaid etc
I did
Pirates of the carribean films has put lads off looking at mermaids combing their hair and looking beautiful like you
Were you all alone out there or do you avoid filming people. It would be spooky if you were alone
There were other people about but I did think it was very quiet there.
The headstones seem to have lasted well. I am interested to know what the relationship is between Portland stone (limestone) and Portland cement. Anybody? Lighthouses with LED lights? Yes they have. The ecologist in me says great! The traditionalist weeps! Keep Wyrdly Walking! Bye!
Did the Merchicken evolve to lure cats to their death?
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Merman not mythology so I'd imagine some of the stories were forced to sound outrageous our world is full of unexplained unknowns surface earth and inner earth bout 7 layers of various civilizations all very real.
It was all Greek before u explained it .Cheers 🍓
Home of the real Jamaica Inn?
That's in the middle of Bodmin Moor
Why are pirate's called pirate's. ........... cos they rrrrrrrrrr...
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