Portland,Dorset

[John Bull]

Lyn & JB: Thank you for your helpful information. Do you know if your ships offered excursions to Stonehenge and/or Bath on your cruises? Or if they are doable from Portland if we are only in port from 7am-4pm? Kathy

 

I've never cruised the area. Unless you count "trips round the bay" :D

But I live about 60 miles away, & used to drive coaches, including day trips to Weymouth, Stonehenge, Bath, etc.

 

The time isn't generous, but I think your cruiseline is likely to want to sell excursions to both.

 

Stonehenge is about 2 hours by coach, Bath about 2hrs 20.

 

With a departure at, say, 7.30am & back at the pier 3pm that'd give:

 

Bath - about 2.5 hours sight-seeing, if the excursion doesn't waste half of it on lunch. Without lunch I guess it's just about long enough for the main sights, but you'll be pushed.

 

Stonehenge - I guess they'll allow about 75 mins at Stonehenge (that's plenty for most folk, there's really not a great deal to see) and a couple of hours in Salisbury - that's about right, even with a tolerably quick lunch.

 

The route to either is quite pleasant & moderately scenic "A" roads, not boring motorways.

 

The usual cruising dilemma. It's a long time to be sat in a coach for a fairly whistle-stop visit. But possibly a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

There are much more local options, such as Weymouth, which will be enjoyable if not spectacular.

But only you can decide.

 

JB :)

[LHT28]

Lyn & JB: Thank you for your helpful information. Do you know if your ships offered excursions to Stonehenge and/or Bath on your cruises? Or if they are doable from Portland if we are only in port from 7am-4pm? Kathy

Ours did ....I think we were in port till 5 but cannot remember for sure

 

You could also look for private tours to Stonehenge/Bath

 

Lyn

[kruzseeka]

I really don't think you would do Bath justice with that time-frame and even less so pulling in Stonehenge too. As JB says the roads are not great in terms of getting there quickly. We have a 65 mile stretch to Bath and think we've done well to get there in less than two hours. A hour on a decent motorway would do the journey!

 

The new relief road may help but we were in Weymouth last week and had to wait 15 minutes for the Park & Ride bus just to get around the bay even though we could see it all the time it was approaching but it was snarled up in traffic from the cross channel ferry which was nose to tail crawling along waiting for their turn to get through the lights.

 

I'd settle for the immediate area - Nothe Fort in Weymouth is very interesting with displays and information about its history including the role of this area in WWII and the D-Day Landings. Weymouth itself has a lot of Olde Worlde charm and character. Views from the top of Portland are fabulous and Lulworth is only 10 miles away with spectacular Jurassic coast scenery.

 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lulworth+cove+pictures&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=M52&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=D4h9TtC3GcGm0QWAw732Dw&ved=0CDUQsAQ&biw=1241&bih=593

 

If you have never been to the area before I'd take advantage of the gems in the immediate vicinity because of a shortish call and minimise time travelling to more distant attractions. Look to do Bath on another occasion (that's stunning too by the way - but warrants a good day there imho).

 

Enjoy your visit to Dorset - it's a beautiful county.

[TourDeCruise]

The possibilities are enticing. I talked to my dh and we think we will stick with going to Stonehenge and Bath from London via a tour pre-cruise and just enjoy Portland, Weymouth, and/or surrounding towns and landscape when we are in Portland.

 

Thanks for your information and please let us know if you have more suggestions.

 

Kathy