Portesham

Portesham is a village about 6 miles (10 km) north-west of Weymouth and 6 miles south-west of Dorchester, 2 miles (3 km) north-east of Chesil Beach. It sits in a hollow among the downs, too low to see the sea, though in a south-westerly gale the roar of the breakers can be heard in the village. The houses are a mix of old grey stone cottages and newer buildings, and a stream runs alongside the main street.

The Hardy Monument stands above the village on Black Down. The 22 metre (72 ft) tower was put up in 1844 in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, Nelson’s flag captain at Trafalgar, who lived in Portesham as a boy and again later in life. The National Trust owns it and opens it on selected days. Dorset Council manages the land around it, where there are panoramic views of the Fleet, Chesil Beach and the Dorset Downs, and a free car park. The inland route of the South West Coast Path passes Black Down on its 13-mile section from West Bexington to Osmington Mills.

The hills north of the village are rich in prehistory. They hold several Bronze Age barrows and the Hell Stone, a Neolithic chambered long barrow. In the village, St Peter’s churchyard is managed for wildlife, and more than 70 species of wild flower have been identified there.

The Kings Arms is a traditional country pub serving cask ales, with a garden that has a stream running through it. There is no railway station, as the line closed in 1952.