Dawn sunlight and waves at Portland Bill lighthouse, Dorset, England
© Lee Pengelly/Getty Images Plu
A guiding light. Shedding light on stormy waters
Welcome to the Isle of Portland and its striking red and white lighthouse, which has been warning seafarers off the treacherous rocks and waters here in the English Channel since 1906. This small peninsula and Chesil Beach, which attaches it to the mainland, have seen numerous shipwrecks over the centuries. The Romans are thought to have lit beacons here, to warn boats off its reefs, ledges and tidal surges. Portland Bill Lighthouse, at the southern tip of the peninsula, is a popular tourist attraction and if you can climb the 153 steps to the lantern room, you will be rewarded with sweeping views of the sea and of Dorset’s beautiful Jurassic Coast. The Isle of Portland is famous for its Portland Stone, used in many prestigious buildings, including St Paul’s Cathedral. There’s also a bird observatory, a huge variety of butterflies and plant life, a castle and a much-photographed stone formation known as Pulpit Rock.
Related Images
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, for Hemingway Days
Saint Pierre panorama at sunrise, Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire, England
The Gardens of the Palazzo Corsini al Prato in Florence for the New Generation Festival
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Blue walls of Chefchaouen, Morocco
Smögen, Sweden
At Casa Batlló for Saint Jordi’s Day in Barcelona, Spain
Bing Today Images
