Having parked at our holiday cottage on the Isle of Portland we catch the bus back to the mainland and re-trace our steps to Sandsfoot Castle cafe. We taste their pasties again, admire the view from the castle then cross the road and join the Rodwell Trail. Seventy years ago steam trains chuffed along this route from Weymouth to Portland. Today it is a buzz with dog walkers, cyclists, runners and us enjoying the stroll and the views across the harbour.

A small estate of houses at the end of the trail lies on the site of the former Whitehead Factory, where torpedos were invented and tested right here by Robert Whitehead. Joining the Ferry Bridge across to the island we try to work out the site of the former railway viaduct.

There is a lot of new development as we arrive on Portland – presumably going back to the 2012 Olympics when the sailing was based here. The new Portland Marina has a fabulous high-rise dry boat park – we ponder on how the boats are retrieved from the top moorings??

The coast path takes us through a newly landscaped area to Portland Castle and round the corner where the pathway climbs the hill between a massive brand-new apartment block and an abandoned concrete 7 or 8 storey eyesore! Trains, pulled by horses, used to carry stone down the Merchant’s Incline from the quarries to the harbour below. The view from the stop warrants a short stop for refreshments.

The pathway meanders round the perimeter of the formidable looking Verne Prison and its moat, then passes by a small farm, with wallabies and goats, and on to the edge of one of many, seemingly still working quarries. Oh, my yet another prison – this one housing young offenders. The coast path takes a dramatic turn left down the cliff towards the sea – the rest of today’s walk is through a rocky scrubland with large boulders, seemingly abandoned. The area is charming in mid winter but I bet stunning in the summer months – the sea surrounding this island is so blue and the views looking east along the Jurassic Coast are fabulous.

Rock climbers are doing their thing on the steep rock faces, left by former mining activities. We finish our walk just before the pathway to Church Ope Cove and wander into the pretty little town of Easton