0:00:15 > 0:00:21Britain is a country that owes a great deal to its rail empire.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26For 100 years, the railways dominated the development of this country,
0:00:26 > 0:00:31the network that supported a global superpower.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37But today, our island is home to 10,000 miles of disused lines...
0:00:38 > 0:00:43..a silent network of embankments, platforms and viaducts.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48For me, and many others,
0:00:48 > 0:00:53they've become a perfect platform for exploring the country on foot.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Welcome to a sublimely sunny south coast of England!
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Now, Weymouth is arguably England's original seaside resort.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's where King George III used to take his summer breaks,
0:01:22 > 0:01:27sparking a national obsession with the seaside holiday that's continued for over 200 years.
0:01:27 > 0:01:3060 years after George III came here, so did the railway.
0:01:30 > 0:01:36A line was created from Weymouth to a unique feature on the British coastline.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Today, I am hoping to find out why a tiny outcrop like the Isle of Portland
0:01:40 > 0:01:41ever deserved its own railway,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44and why Weymouth is more than just tourists.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Since 1857, people had been able
0:01:57 > 0:02:00to reach Weymouth by train from London...
0:02:01 > 0:02:05..but my route today first took shape in 1865,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07when an extension line was built south from the town
0:02:07 > 0:02:09across the causeway to Portland.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14In 1902, the route was extended again,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16by a quite separate rail company,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19around the eastern cliffs of Portland to the village of Easton.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21But as with so many branch lines,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25the whole route fell victim to Dr Beeching's axe,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and Portland once more became a railway-free zone.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37This is where the track running out of Weymouth Station used to be...
0:02:37 > 0:02:38this car park!
0:02:38 > 0:02:42The route will get more interesting, I promise!
0:02:42 > 0:02:44But before I really get underway,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47let's take an aerial look at the route I'll be taking.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53From Weymouth Station, my walk heads south,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57taking me through my first truly urban section of railway walk.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01The Weymouth & Portland Railway cuts a clear path on an embankment
0:03:01 > 0:03:04as it passes through backstreets and terraced housing
0:03:04 > 0:03:06on its way to meet Portland Harbour.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Then there's a good 2.5 miles of coastal views
0:03:11 > 0:03:13as the railway path hugs the harbour.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I'll take a direct route along the end of Chesil Beach,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22the famous shingle bank that permanently connects
0:03:22 > 0:03:24the Isle of Portland with the mainland.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34This is where the Easton & Church Hope Railway once took over,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37building a line around the eastern fringes of Portland,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40through what would become Portland's naval base.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47The old track made use of the flat coastal plateau
0:03:47 > 0:03:50that overlooks the sea and Dorset's Jurassic coastline.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57I'll follow the railway almost to its conclusion...
0:03:59 > 0:04:03..before stepping off down to Portland's one and only beach at Church Ope Cove.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11'Back in the centre of Weymouth though,
0:04:11 > 0:04:16'the solitude of a Portland cove seems a lot more than seven miles away!
0:04:16 > 0:04:22'But it's only a matter of yards before you reach what is now the Rodwell Trail,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25'a favourite rat-run for Weymouth walkers and cyclists,
0:04:25 > 0:04:30'but, of course, once the track bed of the Portland Branch line.'
0:04:30 > 0:04:33So, no sooner am I on the Rodwell Trail trail,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I'm at my first station! As you can see, that was Westham Halt,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40and Weymouth Station is just a few hundred yards that way.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42But it is just the beginning!
0:04:45 > 0:04:50'The trail sticks strictly to the path of the old railway line.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53'It really is an ideal way to get across town and escape the cars,
0:04:53 > 0:04:58'except where a dismantled bridge forces you back amongst the traffic.'
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Before I get any further, I want to meet up with the man who recommended this railway walk to me.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12In fact, if you give him half a chance, he'd recommend a railway walk in every corner of the country!
0:05:12 > 0:05:15'Jeff Vinter is a south coast man himself,
0:05:15 > 0:05:21'but, more importantly, he's a leading light of a nationwide group called Railway Ramblers.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24'No prizes for guessing what their main interest is!
0:05:24 > 0:05:29'But he has suggested we meet by a rather curious railway landmark.'
0:05:29 > 0:05:31During the Second World War,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34there was a great big naval base down at Portland,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37a natural target for the German aircraft.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42This is one of the gun emplacements put in to protect the whole area.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47It was very much, during the black days of the Blitz, very much on the front line here.
0:05:47 > 0:05:54When you look at the map, Jeff, of this route, it's like a spider's web of railways.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Especially when you get up on to the top of Portland.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00The line that we are standing on here, and, indeed,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04all the lines on Portland were motivated by the local industry.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05That means Portland stone.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08The passengers were very much an afterthought.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11The important thing was to get the Portland stone out.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15The most awkward thing is that when you get to the Fortuneswell,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18there's been a bit of redevelopment of the railways,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21so you need to then step off on to some of the old tramways.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24When you get up there, there are some wonderful views.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28It leads you on to the Portland Plateau,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32which is just riddled with old tramways, all to do with the stonework.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33They are all over the place.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- So, a bit of hard work and a good view!- You're telling, me! Yes!
0:06:36 > 0:06:39And you would come to Weymouth as a family, wouldn't you?
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Oh, yes. When I was little, all of our holidays were taken by train.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47I can remember many of the lines here when they were still going.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48You remember Beeching well!
0:06:48 > 0:06:52I remember Beeching very well. I couldn't believe that so many lines were being closed.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57The closures shut down a lot of places that we could go to.
0:06:57 > 0:07:04In later years, my interest in these old railways has led me to discover all sorts of interesting places,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07well off the beaten track, that I might never have otherwise have found.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Jeff, all of this is good news for me, so I'm going to get on my way.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- I hope you enjoy your walk! - I will! I'll be thinking of you.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17'So, it's already clear that Weymouth isn't just a celebrated seaside resort,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21'there's a military and an industrial background.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24'And, as usual, the railway was there to play a part in both.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29'The embankment that provides so many views across the city
0:07:29 > 0:07:32'soon gives way to a cutting and a tunnel
0:07:32 > 0:07:34'just in time for the next halt on the line at Rodwell.'
0:07:40 > 0:07:42This station is beautifully secluded.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45You wouldn't know that the suburbs of Weymouth were all around you.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50But one thing is for certain, this station was definitely for passengers only.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51No freight access around here.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53'The long platforms, however,
0:07:53 > 0:07:58'are testament to the amount of passengers that would have piled on and off here every day,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01'all heading to factories around Weymouth and Portland.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06'And, in its day, Rodwell was considered one of the prettiest stations in the country.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18'The stations come thick and fast in this section of my walk.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23'When the line first opened, it ran without stopping right to the northern tip of Portland.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32'But as industry and workforces grew, more and more passenger stops were added.'
0:08:32 > 0:08:36This station was actually the last to open on the line in 1932,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39which has only 33 years before the whole line closed for good.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Here is a clue in the undergrowth. Look, if you have a rummage,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47that was the platform.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'Sandsfoot was a very simple structure...
0:08:55 > 0:08:59'a single platform made entirely of wood.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03'Its job was to serve the dense estates that grew up in this southern section of Weymouth.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07'And at this point, there can't be many casual walkers
0:09:07 > 0:09:10'who don't take a very short diversion.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13'This is where the old railway line catches up with the coastline,
0:09:13 > 0:09:20'which means visitors like me get their first sweeping view right across Portland Harbour.'
0:09:23 > 0:09:26That is a tidy little view!
0:09:30 > 0:09:35'With protection from the mainland, Chesil Beach and the Isle of Portland,
0:09:35 > 0:09:40'this harbour is a vast natural bay and an ideal anchorage point.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45'No surprise then that Henry VIII chose to build two of his famous coastal defences here,
0:09:45 > 0:09:51'one across the bay at Portland and one right here - Sandsfoot Castle.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56'But since then, in fact, whilst the railway was being built,
0:09:56 > 0:10:00'the Victorians were busy taking things one stage further.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03'A series of stone breakwaters now protects the bay,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07'creating one of the world's largest man-made harbours.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18'And this seems an appropriate place to meet a man with a real depth of knowledge about Portland Harbour.'
0:10:19 > 0:10:26'David Carter is a lifelong diver who's explored sites and wrecks in the local waters.'
0:10:28 > 0:10:29Am I right in saying, David,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31that we're lucky to be walking on this trail?
0:10:31 > 0:10:33- They nearly turned it into a road? - That's right.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38It was due to the pressure of the West Weymouth Conservation Society
0:10:38 > 0:10:40that it was turned into a cycle walkway.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45So it's preserved it as a nice green lung going through the town,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48with outstanding views right down at the end here.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Now, Julia, we are going to take a detour off from the trail
0:10:53 > 0:10:56up on to the embankment so we get a better view of the harbour.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00And this is what it's all about!
0:11:00 > 0:11:05To see this magnificent harbour on a perfectly still day!
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Right, where shall I look first?
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Start to the right and pan across Chesil Beach.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Then the remnants of the Navy buildings, the old accommodation blocks.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Which are not that attractive, to be honest.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Not attractive, but they're being converted into executive flats.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Des-res!
0:11:25 > 0:11:29You should try and imagine what this was like in 1944,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33when preparations for the invasion of France in the Second World War...
0:11:33 > 0:11:35This was just full of servicemen ready to go.
0:11:35 > 0:11:42Americans and Canadians, and there was a host of boats and an enormous number of these floating harbours,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45which are the two we see over there, the Phoenix casings,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47which are part of temporary harbours,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51which were to be towed across to support the troops once they got there.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55'But there's one harbour landmark that is particularly close to David's heart.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00'But, in truth, it isn't actually a landmark at all.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06'Beneath the waves that crash into the harbour's breakwater lies the wreck of HMS Hood,
0:12:06 > 0:12:11'a battleship that was deliberately sunk in 1914 to blockade the harbour's south entrance.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17'This is where the Hood still rests to this day,
0:12:17 > 0:12:22'protecting Weymouth and Portland from U-boats and torpedo attacks from the Channel.
0:12:22 > 0:12:28'For David and his fellow divers, it's arguably the harbour's leading attraction.'
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Well, in those days, you could go and it was the complete battleship.
0:12:33 > 0:12:39You just swam down the outside and you could go and look through the portholes to look inside.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40Fascinating!
0:12:40 > 0:12:45But, sadly now, time has taken its toll and it has started to collapse.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49It's now considered too dangerous to be able to dive on.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51The dreaded Health and Safety!
0:12:51 > 0:12:54But there are still lots of other nice dive sites here.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00There are submarines, old East Indiamen, 18th-century barges.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04So we don't do good tropical fish in this country when it comes to diving,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- but we do good wrecks, don't we? - We do good wrecks, indeed!
0:13:07 > 0:13:11If you pass on by, finally, you get round to Sandsfoot Castle again,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- which is where we started our walk. - Yeah.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19- Very nice, too. What a good good little arc that is!- Beautiful!
0:13:22 > 0:13:26'When you think about places of key naval significance on the south coast,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29'it always seems to be Portsmouth and Plymouth that spring to mind,
0:13:29 > 0:13:34'but Portland has been of strategic and technological significance for centuries.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38'The presence of the anti-aircraft gun at the beginning of my walk
0:13:38 > 0:13:41'suddenly now seems particularly appropriate.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:46This is actually the home of the torpedo.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51This is where Robert Whitehead made his factory in 1891.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54He was the inventor of the torpedo.
0:13:55 > 0:14:01'A century ago, this modern housing estate was one of the key industrial sites along the railway line
0:14:01 > 0:14:04'and one which had an impact around the world.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09'Lancastrian engineer Robert Whitehead was the pioneer of explosives
0:14:09 > 0:14:12'that could be detonated both remotely and underwater.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16'His factory took over eight acres and had its own pier
0:14:16 > 0:14:20'stretching out into the harbour, where testing took place.'
0:14:20 > 0:14:25- OK, we need to go just round to the left here to see the very last... - To see the bollard!
0:14:25 > 0:14:31No, not the bollard, but the last remaining piece of the torpedo factory. This is the stone.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37So, Mr Whitehead was responsible for the deadly torpedo.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Whilst it was a very great engineering achievement,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44nevertheless, it left a very sad sort of legacy,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48of millions of tons of shipping that was sunk by torpedoes
0:14:48 > 0:14:49and a terrible loss of life.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53It is such a historic part of the town.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56This actually is called Whitehead Drive,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00so his name is recorded for posterity.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06'Whitehead's torpedo factory lies at the end of the Rodwell Trail,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09'right on the southern tip of the Dorset mainland.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'From here I step onto that section of the walk
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'that will always be the highlight for aspiring geography teachers.'
0:15:17 > 0:15:20The railway ran along a narrow spit of land,
0:15:20 > 0:15:26slowly formed as more and more silt, mud and shingle were deposited here by the currents,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30eventually connecting the Isle of Portland with the mainland.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37In the background is Chesil Beach,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41stretching out with its salty lagoon, known as the Fleet.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47This was where Barnes Wallis' revolutionary bouncing bomb was tested during World War II.
0:15:47 > 0:15:54A strange contrast to the Fleet's protected status now as a unique habitat for wading birds.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58But at the Portland end of the beach
0:15:58 > 0:16:01is one of the most vibrant spots anywhere on the south coast.
0:16:03 > 0:16:0640 years after the railway tracks were ripped up,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09this area is now filled with the National Sailing Academy,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13host of the 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19It's soon to be adjoined by a brand spanking new marina,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23and is overlooked by the redeveloped naval apartments.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30Now, as Jeff predicted, the walk become slightly more complicated here...not too tricky, though.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33The old railway track follows the east coast of Portland.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37We can't go that way because it is private land at the old Royal Naval base.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40So, what we're going to do is follow this old tramway track
0:16:40 > 0:16:44and go up Merchant's Incline and make our way on to Portland proper that way.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48And there is a hill to climb! Whoo!
0:16:54 > 0:16:58'The climb up the tramway feels like the start of a new chapter.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02'The urban backstreets are gone, so, too, the vast history of the harbour.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07'Now it's all about this unusual tied island.'
0:17:12 > 0:17:17Local author Thomas Hardy once described Portland as the Gibraltar of Wessex.
0:17:17 > 0:17:23And on a hot day like today, well, I'll leave it to you to decide!
0:17:30 > 0:17:32In preparing for this walk,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34there was one person that everybody said I should talk to.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37He's a true son of Portland and a leading local historian.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41So he should definitely know a thing or two!
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- Hello, Stuart!- Hello!
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- Nice to see you.- Good to see you.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I like that, a steep walk! It's good, isn't it?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- Steep, isn't it? - A bit of exercise, that's good!
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Because, you know, these railway walks are quite flat! Funny that!
0:17:53 > 0:17:54Not this one!
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Of course, from here we have a fantastic view of the route that I've followed.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Yes, from here you can see the route of the 1865 railway from Weymouth,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03going along the back of Chesil Beach there,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07which originally terminated at Victoria Square.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11But the line we are on here pre-dates that by some margin.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16It was in 1826 that a group of merchants got together
0:18:16 > 0:18:21and decided to build a tramway to take the stone
0:18:21 > 0:18:23from the quarries on the top of the island,
0:18:23 > 0:18:28down to this area here, which is now Portland Harbour.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Stone was very, very important to Portland, it was a massive industry.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Stone was a major industry of Portland, and for the country.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Portland stone is probably the most famous in the world.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41But the stone had to be got away from the islands.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44How did they manage that, from an engineering point of view?
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Well, the stone was brought to this point by horses.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51It was never a steam railway, it was always horse-drawn.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Right down at the bottom, the empty trucks were hooked up.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00Then, of course, you had the system of the weighted trucks pulling the empty ones back up.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03We are talking about large slabs of stone, aren't we?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Up to 10 tonnes, on these very crude, simple stone trucks.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Imagine that hurtling down on a chain system.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- It doesn't bear thinking about, does it?- No! The noise alone!
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- Shall we continue up the hill, Stuart? You can show more.- Right.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22- Have we got another steep bit to go? - There is a bit up there.- Yes!
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It's a compact little town.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Yes, I was born and brought up here, in this area.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34We haven't lived here all our lives, but nearly.
0:19:34 > 0:19:41It's a superb ready-made adventure playground for youngsters to grow up in.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43I can remember these very, very steep slopes.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It is horrendous to think of it now,
0:19:45 > 0:19:50but we used to slide on cardboard down from the top, and end up in a blackberry bush!
0:19:50 > 0:19:54It was great fun. But to explore all the Victorian fortresses
0:19:54 > 0:19:56and the gun emplacements and things like this.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- Yeah, as you say, a real playground! - Yeah.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04'As we round the headland above the village of Fortuneswell,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07'it becomes clear just what a network of tramways
0:20:07 > 0:20:10'there were around the upper slopes of Portland.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18'But to get to quarries at the very top of the island, a second incline system had to be built.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25'This one that had to pass under existing roads and other tramways.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31'From my point of view, at least, it seems steeper than the first.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37'It's certainly been left surprisingly untouched,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41'with sections of the old stone track bed clearly visible in places.'
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Cannot help thinking about those horses.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Well, fortunately, they didn't have to haul down or up this particular route
0:20:49 > 0:20:54because gravity did the work here. This was the incline operated by gravity.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55We made it to the top all right!
0:20:55 > 0:20:59We are now on the track bed of the old tramway
0:20:59 > 0:21:01which led from the top of that incline,
0:21:01 > 0:21:06or to the top of that incline, where the stone from this old quarry, here, would have been taken.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10As you can see, the landscape has been totally transformed by nature.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12It's reclaimed ground again.
0:21:12 > 0:21:18- The landscape is still evolving and changing, as you will see around the next corner.- Ah.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- This is what it's all about today, Stuart. Money.- Very much so.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Yes. This is an active quarry.
0:21:25 > 0:21:32This shows the scale of the industry which has been Portland's bread and butter for countless centuries.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33Going right back to Roman times.
0:21:33 > 0:21:39Of course, Portland stone has been used for very many famous buildings.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42St Paul's Cathedral, obviously, comes to mind.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44- Buckingham Palace... - Buckingham Palace.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47The whole of Regent Street. Bank of England. You name it.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50It is the ideal building stone for the capital
0:21:50 > 0:21:55and anywhere that wants a prestigious sort of facade to their building.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01'The stone in this quarry, however, is destined for somewhere far more local.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05'It's being used to build the stone jetties of the new Olympic marina.
0:22:07 > 0:22:13'150 years ago, stone was used to build the breakwaters that kept foreign enemies at bay.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18'Today, it will be catering for the foremost foreign sport stars.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25'But of course, the Victorians were obsessed with national security.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'And the summit of Portland itself is given over to defence.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35'The High Angle Battery is where shells would have been lobbed up and over
0:22:35 > 0:22:39'onto the deck of any vessel that threatened the fleet moored inside the harbour.
0:22:41 > 0:22:47'The crowning feature, though, is the great Verne Citadel,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51'a structure so secure it now serves as a prison.'
0:22:53 > 0:22:56It was built as a massive fortress.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59It could have held up to 2,000 men in time of war.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03They took the whole of the hilltop here and reshaped it.
0:23:03 > 0:23:09A lot of what you can see, what you can't see, in fact, is underground, and underneath these embankments
0:23:09 > 0:23:12are huge earth mouldings, which have reshaped this hilltop.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Who would have done the work, who would have carried it out?
0:23:15 > 0:23:18It was essentially by convict labour.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23The prisoners were brought here to dig the stone for the breakwater.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27So, convicts did a lot of the hard work?
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- Yes.- And convicts, now, are within these walls.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31That's an ironic thing, yes.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35It wasn't built... The convicts were building it as a military fortress.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37It's certainly keeping them in now!
0:23:37 > 0:23:41They were on their way to Australia. But now, yes, it's keeping them in. Very effectively, too.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44So, with all this quarrying, the guns, the citadel,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46we've forgotten about the railway!
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Well, let's head to the east cliffs. There's a lovely vantage point there
0:23:50 > 0:23:52where you can see where the railway is.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56'From the air, the scale of the Victorian citadel becomes clear.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01'You can also see how it sits a good 400ft above the path of the old railway.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09'The Easton & Church Hope wound its way around the northern tip of the island,
0:24:09 > 0:24:14'eventually emerging for a straight run down the east side of Portland.'
0:24:18 > 0:24:21A cracking view of the Jurassic coastline as well.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25A magnificent panorama of Weymouth Bay,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30and their view of the site of the 2012 Olympics sailing events.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Not many tourists know about this area.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36It is a superb vantage point, as I say.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40'So, it's time to rejoin the railway line.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45'A walk which involves some rapid descent,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49'and takes you past a local feature known as Nicodemus Knob,
0:24:49 > 0:24:53'an artificial limestone stack that quarry workers left behind,
0:24:53 > 0:24:59'proving just how much of Portland has been dug up and moved elsewhere.'
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Finally, back on the railway track.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29We can really see from here how Portland's cliffs have been
0:25:29 > 0:25:33shoved back over the centuries by all the quarrying.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37'For a walk that has been so utterly carved out by man,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41'the east coast of Portland is a surprisingly beautiful place.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49'You can only imagine the industry that must have been here when Christopher Wren
0:25:49 > 0:25:52'came to choose the finest stone for St Paul's Cathedral.'
0:25:59 > 0:26:03This used to be one of the most beautiful and dramatic parts of the railway.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06There was a bridge that ran over the top.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10About 40 years ago, a Portland stone company came along,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13bought up this stretch of land and, essentially, filled it in
0:26:13 > 0:26:15so they could get their lorries up and down.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18All in the name of industry.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23This is where I'm going to part company with the railway track and head this way, round to the cove.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30'For a railway that was such a challenge to build and maintain,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33'it seems sad that it lasted such a short period of time.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37'Fully opened in 1902, the Portland section of my railway
0:26:37 > 0:26:40'ceased carrying passengers just 50 years later,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43'and was completely closed in 1965.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52'So, while the Easton & Church Hope curved inland to its terminus at Easton,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55'I thought I'd pay a visit to the Church Ope bit.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59'A secluded bay, and one of the few places on Portland
0:26:59 > 0:27:03'that has remained untouched by the continuous production of stone.'
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Believe it or not, this is the only place on Portland
0:27:12 > 0:27:15where walkers can actually get right down to the shoreline.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Gaggles of visitors used to flock here in their bathers
0:27:18 > 0:27:21to take advantage of the island's one and only beach.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24As you can see, it's hardly enormous,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26but there are signs of life.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34'These photos really show the cove put to good use.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38'The folk of 1920s and '30s Britain seemed unfazed
0:27:38 > 0:27:42'that they were just yards from quarries, naval ships and torpedoes.
0:27:43 > 0:27:49'There was even a paddle-steamer that would haul itself onto the rocks and shingle,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52'far enough for visitors to walk a short plank onto the beach.'
0:27:58 > 0:28:00So, my walk has ended as it began,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02at a spot favoured by holidaymakers.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Along the way all the flavours have been very different.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08There's been military, industry, Portland stone.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10All served by that railway line that was.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14But with the Olympics on the way, and all the shiny new stuff that that entails,
0:28:14 > 0:28:19you can imagine that the golden age of British tourism will return here very soon.
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