Knob

Yesterday was a long walk to Portland Bill, which was surprisingly benign considering how windy it was. I noticed that the route suggested by some – so close to the cliffs that you could throw a ships biscuit to land – was littered with pot markers. So not a route for a night passage.

The bill cafe has a system that when your order is ready your collection window is announced on a very very loud hailer. So all over the actual Bill and despite the howling of the wind, every few moments you would hear “ cheesy chips window four” etc. It really added to the British Seaside atmosphere of the place 🤣

I was planning to leave today for the long trip to Yarmouth. SW 4/5 forecast which would seem ideal and I would normally have set sail. However as it’s a long passage, and as I’m sailing solo, and as the forecast has been underestimating recently I decided to stay in Portland another day. It seems I made the right decision as the updated forecast says F6 and it seems like that in the harbour. Plus it’s raining!

But fortune was shining on me as it provided the perfect opportunity to inspect the famous Nicodemus Knob! With a name like that, clearly not something to be casually ignored.

It’s a long relentless steep climb on the coastal path but finally there it was !

Very impressive, though I’m not sure it would be enough to make me come more than once!

Interesting quarries and old military installations though – and great views east and west.

Wild goats too but this was the only one I saw.

Tomorrow looks hopeful for an early start for Yarmouth 👍