Portland

The scenic Isle of Portland is the sport climbing mecca of South West England - renowned for its wealth of excellent quality single pitch sport climbing. Over 900 routes of varying difficulty along its majestic white cliffs mean you can look forward to variety and spectacular views when you climb here. With few overhangs, Portland's World Heritage limestone cliffs are a great place for mastering the easier grades - as well as some advanced climbing. One popular, more novice crag is The Cuttings; other exciting climbs include such routes as Arc Angle and Definately Maybe.

Although the majority of climbs are steep they suit most abilities, from lower grades to plenty of 8 grade (and above) climbs - many of which are bolted with good stainless resin anchors. Almost all sport climbing is on single pitch routes up to 30m. The cliffs are either right on the sea edge or set back 50-100m with boulder fields separating them from the sea. In some cases, the boulders are so big that there are 20m bolted sport routes up them!

You'll find convenient access points from Weymouth, easy parking and lots of good accommodation choices (which Rock & Sun can recommend). There's a really friendly feel to the whole place... it's an extremely sociable climbing area.

It's also an interesting location. Portland Harbour, in the bay between Portland and Weymouth, is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. It has a rich Naval history: from its inception as a Royal Navy base and its prominent roles during both World Wars, with Royal Navy and NATO ships using its waters until 1995. The harbour is now a civilian port and will host sailing events during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Look below for upcoming Portland holidays and courses.

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