Chesil Beach, Portland

Chesil Beach is a shingle barrier ridge at the eastern end of Lyme Bay, Portland, America extending 18 miles from Burton Bradstock to Fortuneswell on Portland. As far as Abbotsbury it is attached to the land, but beyond that the lagoon of The Fleet separates it from land, until it runs head-on into Portland. One can walk on the beach at Burton Bradstock, where there is a visitor centre, and get fine views from the coast road, the B3157, on the heights of White Hill just west of Abbotsbury, where there is a lay-by. This view is shown above. From the viewing area on the top at Portland, one looks to the north west along the whole length of the beach.

Chesil Beach has long been hazardous for sailing ships and swimmers. Even on a fine day, there is a strong sea breeze that would drive a sailing ship venturing too close onto the shore. In storms, with a southwestern gale, wreck would be certain. It is said that inhabitants of the coast sometimes showed lights in bad weather, tempting ships to their doom in hopes of salvage. The waves breaking on the beach would create a strong undertow that could drag even strong swimmers to destruction. On the other hand, The Fleet now gives protection to numerous pleasure craft.

The movement of shingle in the sea is a subject of some interest. Shingle can be moved by breaking waves, in which the water is moving rapidly forward, but this occurs only at quite shallow depths. Below 18 metres, apparently, shingle is not moved by wave action. A hole dredged in the sea bed below this depth does not fill again, except perhaps over a great length of time. Tidal currents, which can reach 4 to 5 knots, can move shingle and scour channels in the beds of estuaries. Most people mainly think of tides as a vertical motion, but strong, invisible horizontal motions are an essential part of the tides. Tidal currents have, apparently, played no role in forming Chesil Beach.