In last month’s column I focused on Plymouth and the way the River Tamar creates a natural threshold to the wonders of Cornwall. Following this theme of geological features creating the transition from one place to the next, few are more notable than the iconic Isle of Portland, connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of shingle at the end of Chesil Beach. Protruding deep into the English Channel, Portland creates a natural barrier and the coastline on either side of the isle is strikingly different.
To the east is the vast sweep of Lyme Bay, a pebbly beach which flows in a smooth arc all the way from Lyme Regis to the cliffs of Portland. The shoreline is characterised by crumbly cliffs around Golden
