Welcome to Tales and Trails, a new offer from ICA that will build over time to showcase some of Portland’s best walks and landmarks.
To kickstart our offer, ICA has joined forces with Active Dorset, Dorset Council, Portland Town Council, Public Health Dorset and Wimborne Orienteers to launch three new orienteering routes for Underhill. The project is funded by Sport England.
Orienteering is not only an exciting and fun way to exercise outdoors, it’s also great for mind and body and perfect for anyone who enjoys exploring – the aim being to navigate between a number of markers set out on a specially created map and to do so in the quickest time possible.
If you prefer something a little less competitive, no worries. The Underhill routes are good for all ages and abilities, with the shorter route being accessible to wheelchair users (with a little help from your friends for a couple of inclines).
To make things even more interesting, ICA has overlaid the main orienteering map with a heritage route highlighting 30 of Underhill’s most significant historical landmarks, enabling you to learn more about the area’s fascinating local history as you exercise.
All the routes start in Victoria Gardens, where you will find a noticeboard displaying the course maps.
To get involved, download the maps here…
Or from the following locations:
- Portland Town Council website
- Oriento website
- Oriento App (available for iOS and Android) – will allow you time your run, track your progress and join the leaderboard.
Over the coming months, ICA are hoping to expand its walks offer with a range of additional routes. In the meantime, why not try out some other nearby courses, including Littlemoor, Lodmooor Country Park and Nothe Gardens.
If you’re interested in Portland’s history, discover more on the Encyclopedia of Portland History website.
