Why this ride
A 167 km round trip from Weymouth - roughly 3 h 13 in the saddle. On the way it passes Lyme Regis to West Bay, Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks and back through Lyme Regis to West Bay. It keeps close to the shore for long stretches.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Portland Harbour Shore and Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 167 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 13
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Portland Harbour Shore
Portland Harbour is one of the largest man made harbours in the world, enclosed by breakwaters built in the nineteenth century, partly by convict labour, from Portland stone quarried on the island above. For over a century it was a major Royal Navy base, and today it is a centre for sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing; the sailing events of the 2012 London Olympics were held here. The shore between Weymouth and Portland, with Chesil Beach stretching away to the west, is a fascinating place to explore.
Read the complete Portland Harbour Shore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Portland Harbour Shore is where the day begins. Next is Lyme Regis to West Bay.
2. Lyme Regis to West Bay
The cliffs between Lyme Regis and West Bay are falling into the sea, and that is precisely why people come. This stretch of the Dorset coast is part of the Jurassic Coast, England's first natural World Heritage Site, and its soft clay and limestone cliffs constantly release fossils from the Jurassic seas of around two hundred million years ago. Ammonites, belemnites and the bones of marine reptiles wash out onto the beaches after every storm, and at Charmouth you will see families combing the shingle with hammers and bags at low tide.
Read the complete Lyme Regis to West Bay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lyme Regis to West Bay comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks.
3. Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks
Where the Otter meets the sea near Budleigh Salterton, the cliffs turn red. This is the start of the Jurassic Coast, the stretch of Dorset and East Devon coast that UNESCO listed in 2001 because the cliffs tell a continuous story of 185 million years. At the eastern end, at Orcombe Point in Exmouth, a stone sculpture called the Geoneedle marks the beginning, and from there the rocks run from the red sandstones of the Triassic towards the white chalk of the east. The section between Orcombe Rocks and Chit Rocks is the oldest, a wall of red cliff, sandy beach and sea stacks that look as if they were painted.
Read the complete Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 83 km into the recorded legs you reach Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks. Next is back through Lyme Regis to West Bay.
4. back through Lyme Regis to West Bay
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Lyme Regis to West Bay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Lyme Regis to West Bay, late in the day. Next is Portland Harbour Shore.
5. Portland Harbour Shore
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Portland Harbour Shore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Portland Harbour Shore. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Portland Harbour Shore to Lyme Regis to West Bay
Portland Harbour Shore → Lyme Regis to West Bay is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Lyme Regis to West Bay to Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks
Lyme Regis to West Bay → Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks to back through Lyme Regis to West Bay
Orcombe Rocks to Chit Rocks → back through Lyme Regis to West Bay is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Lyme Regis to West Bay to Portland Harbour Shore
back through Lyme Regis to West Bay → Portland Harbour Shore is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Chesil and River Sid · 121 km
- River Sid and Bowleaze Cove to Peveril Point · 203 km