Rated Excellent on Trustpilot
Over 105 Years Experience
Committed to Sustainable Tourism
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot
Over 105 Years Experience
Committed to Sustainable Tourism
5 Days
TBC
From Only £799.00
Discover Dorset’s stunning Isle of Portland, a small but wild island teeming with wildlife and rocky coastal scenery. Connected to the mainland of Dorset by Chesil Beach, explore rugged cliffs, unique geology and vibrant wildlife, making it an enchanting destination for nature lovers.
This holiday operates under our Optimum Experience brand.
With elegant space-maximising interior design, our Optimum Experience vehicle offers incredible passenger comfort with a selection of fine tours and destinations to choose from. Our Optimum holiday packages include a wide range of excursions, events and admissions, accommodation in a minimum 3* hotel (unless otherwise stated) and, on all our European Holidays, a Skills Representative too! Why not also book our door-to-door service and make your next holiday stress-free?
We depart and head south towards Dorset. We arrive at our hotel this afternoon, located in a prime position on the Isle of Portland, where you'll enjoy a stunning panoramic vista over Chesil Beach, Lyme Bay and Portland Harbour.
We start the day with a drive along Chesil Beach, an eighteen-mile stretch of pebble beach that joins Portland to the mainland, towards Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens. Benefitting from its own microclimate in a sheltered woodland valley on the Jurassic Coast, this is no ordinary garden. This world-renowned botanical paradise is home to over six thousand unique species of plants from around the globe. We later return to our hotel for a free afternoon to explore the Isle of Portland. Just four miles long by a mile-and-a-half wide, this tiny island is brimming with wildlife and rocky coastal scenery. Our hotel is situated near the Portland Heights Beacon, offering magnificent views of the bay below, as well as a sculpture of Olympic rings erected for the 2012 London Games.
After a leisurely start this morning, we begin this afternoon with a visit to Portland Bill Lighthouse Visitor Centre. These former lighthouse keepers' dwellings feature fun and informative maritime displays and interactives about this famous lighthouse, which has stood majestically for the last hundred years. After our visit, we head to the wonderful town of Weymouth. Regularly voted as one of Europe's top ten beach destinations, Weymouth is home to beautiful golden sands and a pretty harbourside. The rest of the day is at leisure in nearby Weymouth, with its stunning golden beaches, miles of level promenade and a pretty working harbour.
Today's full-day excursion takes us to the Isle of Purbeck and Norden Station, where we board our train for a delightful ride on the Swanage Railway. This heritage railway operates full-size steam and diesel passenger trains along the line through to picturesque Corfe Castle and down to the Victorian seaside town of Swanage. Upon your arrival in Swanage, enjoy free time to explore this nostalgic resort, home to a magnificent heritage pier and clifftop castle.
This morning, we bid our hosts farewell and visit the vibrant town of Dorchester, the famous county town of Dorset and the birthplace of author and poet Thomas Hardy. From here, we begin our journey home.
Complete with panoramic sea and coastal views from its onsite Bar, Bistro and Coffee Shop, the Heights Hotel is a beloved home away from home, complete with over fifty ensuite bedrooms.
Hotel Facilities
Bar
Bistro
Patio
Coffee Shop
Lift
WiFi
Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour.
| Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Alfreton | Bus Station, Hall Street, Alfreton, DE55 7BT |
| Arnold | High Street Bus Stop, Outside Leisure Centre Car Park, Arnold, NG5 7EE |
| Beeston | Lace Road, behind the Cricketers Pub Beeston, NG9 2LA |
| Bulwell | Aldi (Bus Stop SW12), Sellers Wood Drive, Bulwell, NG6 8GE |
| Chesterfield | Coach Station, Beckingham Way Chesterfield, S40 1TH |
| Derby | Bus Station, Bay 27 & 28, Derby, DE1 2AY |
| Heanor | Market Place, Wilmott Street (Market Square side) Heanor, DE75 7EG |
| Ilkeston | Wharncliffe Rd, Market Place, Ilkeston, DE7 5GF |
| Leicester | St Margarets Bus Station, Stand SA, Gravel Street, Leicester, LE1 3AG |
| Leicester Fosse Park | Leicester Fosse Park, Bus Stop, Fosse Park Avenue Next to ASDA (opposite petrol station), LE3 2LL |
| Long Eaton | The Green, Outside Poundland Long Eaton, Notts, NG10 1HQ |
| Loughborough | Amber Rooms, The Rushes Loughborough, LE11 5BE |
| Lutterworth | George Street, Outside Wycliffe Rooms Lutterworth, LE17 4EG |
| Mansfield | Fire Station Bus Stop, Rosemary Street Mansfield, NG19 6AA |
| Nottingham | Mount Street, Alongside the Grosvenor Casino, Nottingham, NG1 6HE |
| Ripley | Market Place, Express Stand Ripley, DE5 3FJ |
| Rotherham | Interchange Bay C1/ C2, Frederick Street, Rotherham , S60 1QB |
| Sheffield | Pond Hill, Opposite Penny Black Public House Sheffield, S1 2BG |
| Toton | Tram Stop Park and Ride, Toton Lane Notts, NG9 7JA |
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