Church Ope Cove
Church Ope Cove is a small secluded beach on the sheltered eastern side of the Isle of Portland in Dorset, southern England.[1] It is found close to the village of Wakeham. The beach has many unusual features for the Isle of Portland. The beach used to be sandy, but quarry debris now covers the sand, and has been worn into rounded pebbles. The pebbles cover a small stream which runs to the sea, which is one of the few streams on the Isle of Portland.
Further north along the coastal path that leads past Church Ope Cove is Durdle Pier.
Beach
The beach is one of the few beaches on Portland, and due to having cliffs on three sides, is often sheltered from prevailing wind.[2]
Church Ope Cove once was a famous smuggling beach.[3] For over a century, it was a favourite sheltered beach for swimming and launching fishing boats, and today continues to be popular for fishing, snorkelling and swimming. The beach provides diving access to the numerous wrecks in the surrounding waters too, which has made it a popular area for diving too.[4]
During the first half of the 20th century, a small cafe existed on the beach. The beach is also home to many beach huts which are much sought after and often sell for anything between £20,000 and £30,000. The public toilets at the beach were once threatened to be closed via the local council, however this did not come into fruition. Instead the toilets are run by a third party.[4][5] Further south, and overlooking the beach from the right is the caravan site Cove Holiday Park.[6]
For decades, an old rusting hand winch has been found on the beach.
Reservoir
Above Church Ope Cove, on the right going down the concrete steps is an ancient reservoir behind an area of thick brambles. A small opening leads into this reservoir and is often only known to some of Portland's locals. The reservoir has been rumoured to be a Roman reservoir however it is of unknown age, possibly Victorian.[4]
Access
To access the beach there are two paths. The main path follows the road past Portland Museum and leads under the arch bridge of Rufus Castle, then down concrete steps to the cove. The view point above the steps, looking down on the cove, is part of the coastal path. The other path runs through a small area of woodland around the outside of Pennsylvania Castle, and passes through the ruins of St Andrews Church (close to John Penn's Bath), before linking up over midway down the concrete steps to the cove.
Geology
The Jurassic Coast stretches over a distance of 155 kilometres (96 mi), from Orcombe Point near Exmouth, in the west, to Old Harry Rocks on the Isle of Purbeck, in the east .[7] The coastal exposures along the coastline provide a continuous sequence of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of the Earth's history. The localities along the Jurassic Coast includes a large range of important fossil zones.
See also
- List of places on the Jurassic Coast
- List of Dorset beaches
- Portland Museum, close to the cove
References
- ↑ Church Ope Cove, Dorset Beaches.
- ↑ "Church Ope Cove". Dorset Beaches. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ↑ "Portlandbill.co.uk". Portlandbill.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Pennsylvania Castle and Church Ope, Portland". Geoffkirby.co.uk. 2003-04-03. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ↑ "Public toilets in Weymouth and Portland". dorsetforyou.com. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ↑ Beechwood Associates. "Dorset Holiday Parks | Holiday Park Dorset | Cove Holiday Park Dorset". Coveholidaypark.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ↑ "Dorset and East Devon Coast". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2001. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
Coordinates: 50°32′16″N 2°25′38″W / 50.5377°N 2.4273°W