Our Specialist Short Breaks
We are almost uniquely placed within the United Kingdom to be lucky enough to be on a major bird migration route, be at the heart of the Jurassic coast and have many rare plants and butterflies. The views from the hotel only go to complement the rich natural habitats and foreign visitors we have here on Portland. For many years now we have shared our good fortune by running specialist short breaks for those people who wish to discover, learn or just simply see what just isn't possible in other parts of the United Kingdom. We run three sorts of weekends, each dedicated to a particular interest.
Long weekends to indulge your passion
Our specialist breaks are spread over 3 days, starting on a Friday evening and then over two very full days of the weekend. We have breaks specifically set up for bird watching, the Jurassic Coast and flowers and butterflies and by clicking on the links you will be taken to a detailed description of what each break has to offer and what you can expect. The breaks tend to sell out quickly but that does not mean we cannot set something up for a group outside of our listed dates. Please call Jenny or Kathy on 01305 821361 to discuss your particular group's requirements.
We also run a wildlife and optics weekend once a year with experts on hand to talk you through equipment as well as the wildlife.
Your guide, Bob Ford
Bob is your guide for all the special interest weekends at
The Heights and will be pleased to share with you his love of
the natural history of the area and a more knowlegable guide would be hard to imagine.
Bob has lived all his life in Weymouth and Portland, apart from
3 years at university in Wales where he studied Marine Biology
and Earth Sciences. After university his first job was at
Portland Bird Observatory and he went on to be Hon. Secretary
there for several years.
Since then he has taught at a number of local schools and
currently teaches forensic science at Weymouth College.
As well as leading the special interest weekends Bob also leads weekly walks from the Heights Hotel (£4.00 per walker) around the island, starting at 10.00 am every Friday morning with a complimentary tea or coffee in our Coffee Shop upon your return. Check out Bob's Dorset Walks web site for details of these and other walks led by Bob. In his spare time Bob likes to photograph wildlife and you can see a collection of his photos on his web site Nature Portfolio.
