Chesil Bank
Chesil Beach, linking the Isle of Portland with the mainland, is a seventeen mile long stretch of mystery. The origin of this unique shingle ridge still baffles geographers and geologists, whose theories cannot easily explain why the pebbles are graded from east to west, with the biggest at the Portland end.
Facilities exist at West Weares, Portland, Ferrybridge, Moonfleet, Abbotsbury and Burton Bradstock although the sea off Chesil Beach is treacherous for both swimmers and sailors alike.
It is illegal to remove pebbles from the beach, a fact that has recently caused Ian Mc Ewan, the author of 2007 novella On Chesil Beach, to be threatened with a fine. He admitted removing a handful of stones and keeping them on his desk while writing the book.