Portland Bill Camping

Pitches with a sailing boat in the background

Basic coastal site with spectacular sea views
In a scenic clifftop location between Southwell and Portland Bill
Direct coast path access and a few minutes' walk from rockpool beaches

As a peninsula with a perimeter of just 13 miles, hardy hikers working their way around the South West Coast Path can tick off the Isle of Portland in about a day. Given its all-round prettiness, though, it would be a shame to be in such a rush when visiting Dorset's most unusual offshoot. A much better plan would be to stay for a while to sleep, swim and scout out wildlife – and that's where Portland Bill Camping comes in… Located between Southwell and Portland Bill at the very tail end of the peninsula, this simple site has several big advantages, including direct access to the coast path, spectacular sea views from its clifftop position and splendidly quiet vibes (something ensured by the site's ban on loud music and noisy groups). Away from base, bathing spots, rockpools and a climbing wall are also accessible within a 20-minute stroll. In terms of practicalities, it's worth noting that these family-friendly plots have access to portable toilets only. Dogs are allowed here throughout the season (as long as they're kept on leads). For dinner, there's both a pub and seafood restaurant within a mile's walk of base.

Campground type

Languages spoken

English

Nearby parks that are bookable on Pitchup.com

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Features

Pop-up campground

Dogs allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Scouts welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Farm Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Portland Bill Camping

Portland Bill Road

Glacis

Portland

Dorset

England

DT5 1FR

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.55909°N
2.43244°W

Nearest transport

Bus

3.7 mi Marks and Spencer

10.4 mi South Station

16.7 mi Red Lion

Rail

4 mi Weymouth Rail Station

6.3 mi Upwey Rail Station

10.4 mi Dorchester South Rail Station

Ferry

3.5 mi Weymouth Ferry Terminal

21.9 mi Poole Ferry Terminal

22.3 mi Poole Quay Ferry Landing

Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

In the immediate surrounding area, you can stroll into Southwell (20 minutes' walk) to take on its climbing wall, amble down to Portland Bill (20 minutes) to visit the lighthouse and its visitor centre or fly down to Portland Bird Observatory (15 minutes) to learn about local Dorset ornithology. Pedestrians are also within striking distance of the ruins of Rufus Castle (30 minutes), although you might prefer to drive or cycle if you're heading further up the coast towards Portland Castle (10 minutes' drive) and Castletown D-Day Centre (10 minutes). You can also stick around in this northern part of the peninsula for chartered fishing trips and harbour tours (10 minutes), strolls around Victoria Gardens (10 minutes) or family-friendly treks with Portland Alpacas (10 minutes). Over on the mainland, Weymouth (20 minutes) has galleries, gardens, beaches and shops to pootle around, plus out of town attractions like RSPB Lodmoor (30 minutes) and the Sea Life Centre aquarium (30 minutes). Portland Bill Camping is also an excellent base for jaunts to Abbotsbury (35 minutes), Maiden Castle (35 minutes) or Lyme Regis (an hour and five minutes).

Food and drink

The Britannia 0.4 mi
Royal Portland Arms 0.4 mi
New Star Inn 0.5 mi
Cove House Inn 0.7 mi
The Albert 0.8 mi
The Little Ship 0.8 mi
The Wreck Bar 0.8 mi
The New Inn 0.9 mi
The Punchbowl 0.9 mi
George Inn 1 mi

Groceries

The Co-operative Food 0.5 mi
Tesco 1.1 mi
Lidl 1.4 mi
Londis 3.5 mi
Asda 3.6 mi
The Food Warehouse 4.2 mi
Co-op Food 4.5 mi
Aldi 4.8 mi
Lidl 4.9 mi
Aldi 5.2 mi

Parks and play

Victoria Gardens park 0.7 mi
Governor's Community Garden park 0.8 mi
Sandsfoot Gardens park 2.8 mi
The Pulpit Inn Playground 3 mi
Wyke Regis Playground park 3.1 mi
Weymouth Peace Garden park 3.4 mi
Alexandra Gardens park 3.5 mi
Ludlow Road Playground 4 mi
Radipole Gardens park 4.4 mi
Sluice Gardens park 4.6 mi

Family days out

Verne High Angle Battery Visitor attraction 0.08 mi
Verne Redoubt Visitor attraction 0.1 mi
Chiswell Walled Garden Visitor attraction 0.7 mi
Portland Castle 0.9 mi
Rufus Castle 1.4 mi
Sandsfoot Castle Visitor attraction 2.8 mi
Portland Bill Lighthouse Visitor attraction 3.3 mi
Pulpit Rock Visitor attraction 3.3 mi
Trinity House Obelisk Visitor attraction 3.3 mi
Electric Palace Amusement arcade 3.5 mi

Public transport

Britannia Inn 0.4 mi
Fortuneswell 0.4 mi
Portland Heights 0.5 mi
Heights Hotel 0.5 mi
Mallams 0.5 mi
High Street 0.5 mi
Clifton Hotel 0.5 mi
Verne Common Road 0.7 mi
Chiswell 0.7 mi
Portland Hospital 0.7 mi

Beaches

Little Beach 1 mi
Portland Beach 1.3 mi
Church Ope Cove 1.5 mi
Castle Cove 2.9 mi
Chesil Beach 5.7 mi
Ringstead Beach 6 mi

What’s nearby

Portland Marina 1.2 mi
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy Marina 1.4 mi
Popworld Nightclub 3.5 mi
The Closet Nightclub 3.5 mi
Weymouth Marina 3.5 mi
Weymouth Harbour Marina 3.5 mi
Chic Nightclub 3.6 mi
Weymouth Marina 3.7 mi
Weymouth Golf Club Golf course 4.5 mi
Lodmoor Pitch and Putt Golf course 4.8 mi

Local services

Esso Fuel station 0.5 mi
Portland Hospital (Minor Injuries Unit) 0.7 mi
Gatehouse Surgery Doctors 0.8 mi
Boots Pharmacy 1 mi
Osprey Quay Service Station Fuel station 1 mi
Royal Manor Health Centre Clinic 1.1 mi
Boots Pharmacy 2.9 mi
Well Pharmacy 3.1 mi
Cross Road Surgery Doctors 3.3 mi
Asda Pharmacy 3.6 mi

Must see

Radipole Lake Nature Reserve 4.1 mi

Weymouth Sea Life Park and Marine Sanctuary 4.6 mi

Lulworth Heritage Centre 9 mi

Abbotsbury Swannery 10.1 mi

Lulworth Castle & Park 11.2 mi

National Trust

Max Gate 10.4 mi

Hardy's Cottage 11.9 mi

Clouds Hill 13.5 mi

Corfe Castle 17.3 mi

Studland Beach and Nature Reserve 21.9 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Around the Island of Portland 3.4 mi

RADIPOLE LAKE (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 15/10/1990) 4.5 mi

Lodmoor Nature Reserve - Littlemoor - Preston 4.7 mi

LODMOOR (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 25/11/2004) 5.1 mi

Osmington Mills - Ringstead - Upton 5.8 mi

Local events

Dorset County Show (Saturday, September 5, 2026 – Saturday, September 5, 2026)
Dorchester, England 11.3 mi