An optional circuit of the Isle of Portland past Portland Bill lighthouse, the old quarries and Pulpit Rock.
Highlights
- Portland Bill lighthouse
- Portland quarries
- Pulpit Rock
Know before you go
- Optional loop — very exposed
Climbs 432 m and descends 432 m, topping out at 137 m and dropping to 0 m. Measured along the mapped route.
What you walk on, by distance (from OpenStreetMap way types).
Four axes rated 1–5 — the single rating above is only the headline.
An optional circuit of the Isle of Portland past Portland Bill lighthouse, the old quarries and Pulpit Rock.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Ferrybridge to Ferrybridge is 13.4 miles (21.5 km). Allow about 7 h 24 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 49 climbs about 432 m and descends about 432 m, with a high point of about 137 m. On the South West Coast Path the ascent, not the distance, is what decides how long a day takes — the route repeatedly drops to sea level and climbs straight back out.
It is graded moderate. Rated out of five: physical demand 4/5 (High), terrain 3/5 (Moderate), navigation 2/5 (Modest), remoteness 2/5 (Modest). On the SAC hiking scale it is T1 — mostly well-made path, falling is largely unlikely.
By distance the surface is footpath 66%, track 17%, road & lane 11%, other 6%. Percentages come from the mapped way types along the route.
March to October is the usual window for this leg. Outside it, daylight is short, some estuary ferries stop running and cliff-top wind and rain make an exposed route much harder work.
Water on this stage is moderate. We map 7 refill points on the leg — mostly pubs, cafés and taps in the villages the path passes through. Shade is minimal: this is open cliff-top walking, so carry more than you think in summer.
Highlights on this leg are Portland Bill lighthouse, Portland quarries, Pulpit Rock. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Portland Bill & the Quarries. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Optional loop — very exposed.