The area around Ferry Bridge is a dichotomous, but, at times, extremely beautiful
place.
Ferry Bridge itself is the mouth of the Fleet Lagoon. It is here that the waters
of the Fleet are partially emptied and refilled twice each day from Portland Harbour
and Weymouth Bay beyond.
On the one hand, with two such large expanses of water in the harbour and the Fleet,
the area is beautiful in the way that only large expanses of water can be. At sunset
in particular, there are wonderful views with lots of reflected light.
On the other hand, this is a semi-industrial area with boat yards and storage areas
and a lot of new housing. Ferry Bridge is also the gateway to the Isle of Portland
and so the main (and only) road into Portland runs along the causeway from here.
As you’d expect this can make the area a little “traffic-rich” at certain times
of the day, but you shouldn’t let that put you off visiting - there are good reasons
why you should and lots of people do each year.
For a start, the area is pretty and there’s plenty of space to wander around and
get away from the traffic-noise. There’s a pay and display car park half-way along
the causeway, which is a good launch pad to explore the Eastern ends of both the
Fleet Lagoon and the Chesil Beach. It’s also a favoured spot for wind-surfers, many
of whom use the stretch of water in Portland Harbour that runs for about a mile alongside
the causeway. The Harbour is now home to the National Sailing Academy, but the area
has been used by wind-surfers since the sport began and is well-known for its speed
trials, providing as it does some of the best conditions for high-speed wind-surfing
in the world.
If wind-surfing isn’t your thing, then there’s no better place than this to get a
real impression of just how big the Chesil Beach is. The car park is right next
to it and you can walk up and over the top to get great views of the sea and the
Fleet. This, being the end nearest to Portland, is where the pebbles are biggest,
making walking or sitting on this part of the beach very different to parts further
West. It is also where the beach, which is towered over by Portland itself, is at
its most steep (so don’t risk swimming, the undertow is strong).
In summer and calm weather its difficult to believe that the sea could ever possibly
break through such a massive bank of pebbles, but in winter storms, it is so easy
to see how it has done!
Another good reason for parking here is that the car park is also home to the Chesil
Centre. This innocuous-looking building at the end of the car park houses a wealth
of information about the natural and human history of the area. You can also watch
informational videos and live cctv footage of wildlife under the Fleet and on the
Chesil.
Other reasons to come to Ferry Bridge include the oyster farm and seafood restaurant
at Abbotsbury Oysters - don’t be fooled by the name both the oyster beds and the
restaurant are located at the opposite end of the Fleet to Abbotsbury, so don’t head
to Abbotsbury to find them, go to Ferry Bridge!
You also need to come here if you want to take a trip on the glass-bottomed boat,
The Fleet Observer.
Or you may just like to come, as many do, to play about in the shallows and watch
the tide slip silently but swiftly in or out over the foreshore of the Fleet. It’s
fun.
