Portland England & Newcastle England Itinerary

Here is one list of possibilities from Weymouth, the seaside resort town right next to Portland. Here is another. Here's yet another. And one more. All from googling "tours from Weymouth to Stonehenge." If you know Portland is next to Weymouth, Google will offer lots of possible choices. So should your cruise line.

When we stopped in Portland a few months back, I went to Corfe Castle and loved it. Much less bus time than going all the way to Stonehenge or Bath. Along the way, though not on the fastest route, is the scenic Jurassic Coast. A little way inland is Dorchester, an old market town with interesting buildings and associations with Thomas Hardy.

Here's one list of Newcastle area tours, Google has others. Hadrian's Wall would be a great choice if you don't want to stay in the city. I think the Lake District is "a bridge too far" as a day trip from Newcastle -- it's big and on the other side of Britain. But Alnwick and Bamburgh and Durham (take your pick) are possible.

Lake District is too far from Newcastle for a day excursion, but Alnwick, Durham, Bamburgh/Lindisfarne, Tynemouth and Newcastle itself are all options. It depends on your interests.

We ended our end-to-end Hadrian's Wall hike last summer in Newcastle upon Tyne. A classic view downtown, standing on the side of the Tyne River and looking either downriver or upriver, is the many distinctive bridges lined up, crossing the river. But watch out for pigeons and their droppings! In the eastern suburb of Wallsend, reachable by tram, is the end of The Wall, with a great museum on The Wall and Roman Britain, and a few surviving bits of Roman structures. Just a bit farther east, in the town of South Shields (also reachable by tram) is the Arbeia Roman Fort site, which wasn't attached to The Wall itself, but served as a key part of the Roman frontier defenses, guarding the mouth of the Tyne River. They've reconstructed the entrance gate to the fort, and a few buildings as they would've been outfitted in Roman times.

Durham is a nice small city easily reached from Newcastle by train.
Hadrian's wall is the obvious choice.
The coast of Northumberland, north of Newcastle, has many lovely places to visit.

It all depends on where your boat is docking. Cruise companies can be very creative about describing where their boats dock. It could be a dock downstream on the Tyne many miles from Newcastle city centre and with little local transport.

Be aware the full name is Newcastle upon Tyne, there are many Newcastle's in England, but all the others are inland.

For Portland, Dorset; you have Stonehenge, Salisbury, the New Forest, and the Dorset coast.

Weymouth to Stonehenge to Bath and back is over 6 hours of driving, so unless you just want to sit in a car or bus all day, you don’t have time for both. If old stones interest you, then visit Stonehenge, but it wouldn’t be in my own top 100 places to visit in the UK. Many people seem to visit because they feel they ought to rather than following their own interests!

Salisbury or even better, the New Forest or the stunning Dorset coast or Abbotsbury Swannedy would be how I would spend a free day, but it’s your trip not mine.

Newcastle upon Tyne always seems to get bypassed for Durham for some reason. The Lake District is over 3 hours drive each way and there are plenty of places closer that will give you a taste of England. Things to see include Newcastle upon Tyne itself, the fantastic Northumberland coast (one of the hidden gems of England) including Holy Island and many castles, Hadrian’s Wall, Beamish Museum to see how life was a hundred + years ago or spend the day at Cragside, one of my favourite National Trust properties near Rothbury if you want a unique experience.

You ask for places of interest, but don’t say what interests you. Personally, I am less keen on Roman and older history and I am not a Harry Potter junkie so I would avoid Alnwick near Newcastle, but I enjoy stunning countryside and coastlines, National Trust properties and gardens and museums.

Have a look at this thread about things to do in the North East for a day.

The cruise ship will dock at North Shields.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/one-day-excursion-in-newcastle-england

Absoutely loved our time at Hadrians’s Wall area. Local guide , Peter Carney, is fabulous. He would pick you up and design a tour matching your interests.

Portland is right next to Weymouth in the beautiful county of Dorset:>https://www.visit-dorset.com

It is perfectly possible to go to Bath from Weymouth by train. Just walk into Weymouth station & ask for a return ticket to Bath. See
www.nationalrail.co.uk (It will be a slow train winding it’s way through the countryside stopping at villages & small towns).

For buses (not tours) > www.traveline.info

Another vote for Beamish, www.beamish.org.uk. Even an old grump like me enjoyed it, the kids loved it and it's all done very well. Make sure you have the fish and chips cooked in beef dripping in coal fired ranges. Don't be tempted by the liquorice root in the sweet shop however, it's like chewing a twig!

From Portland I would advocate Weymouth, Lulworth Cove including Durdle Door www.lulworth.com/visit/places-to-visit/lulworth-cove, www.lulworth.com/visit/places-to-visit/durdle-door/. Another vote for Corfe Castle www.nationaltrust.org.uk/corfe-castle.

Heading North you're within close proximity to Shaftesbury where you'll find one of England's most photographed streets, Gold Hill www.goldhillshaftesbury.co.uk.

Thank you all for the wonderful amount of information. This will all be super helpful during our planning stages. I appreciate everyone's feedback & suggestions.