Chesil Beach (a.k.a. Chesil Bank) is quite a sight, even on a slightly hazy day! This mound of shingle rises to the grand height of 50 feet, is over 600 feet wide in places, and stretches 18 miles north-westward from Portland, where this photograph was taken, touching the mainland near Abbotsbury and petering out at West Bay.

The size of the shingle varies along the length of the beach in such a consistent way that, it is said, smugglers of old, when landing at night, could tell exactly where along the beach they were by the size of the stones underfoot.

The stretch of water between the beach and the mainland - the Fleet - was used during the Second World War for testing the bouncing bombs that were used in the famous Dambusters raid of May 1943.

If you ever get the chance to visit this beautiful coast, make sure you stop off at Portland and take in the views. Assuming you manage to visit on a day when it’s not too foggy then you won’t be disappointed!