Cave Hole is a large cave on the south east side of the

Isle of Portland The Isle of Portland is a tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. The southern tip, Portland Bill, lies south of the resort of Weymouth, Dorset, Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A barrier ...

, a large peninsular in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, England. It has a blowhole and a wooden crane, known as Broad Ope Crane on the cliff top. It is north-east of

Portland Bill Portland Bill is a narrow promontory (or bill) at the southern end of the Isle of Portland, and the southernmost point of Dorset, England. One of Portland's most popular destinations is Portland Bill Lighthouse. Portland's coast has been notori ...

, has an interior measuring square and high. Cave Hole was earlier known as Keeve's Hole and regularly featured in

recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world h ...

and wider

lore Lore may refer to: * Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs * Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions Places * Loré, former French commune * Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in La ...

of smuggling. It is made up of a series of caves with steep roof sections, tunnels and ledges, and represents the first stage in cave collapse. The cave and its surrounding area is frequently used for

deep-water soloing Deep-water soloing (DWS), also known as psicobloc (from "psycho-bouldering"), is a form of free solo climbing where any fall should result in the climber landing safely into deep water below the climbing routes, route. DWS is therefore considere ...

. The cave's blowhole, which stretches far into the solid rock, was formed when the roof of the cave was broken through to the surface. For the protection of people looking down into the cave, an iron grill has been installed across it. Whenever a powerful easterly gale occurs, the sea shoots up through the fissures. Various small craft have been driven into the cave by east and south easterly gales, the largest of which was a 40-ton vessel from Cowes in 1780. Frank and Ann Davison were shipwrecked at the cave in 1949. The pair had set sail for the West Indies. Frank drowned but Ann managed to scramble ashore. A local tale has long reputed that the cave is home to Roy Dog - a black dog, "as high as man, with large fiery eyes, one green, one red". It is said that the creature emerges from the watery depths to seize any traveller passing by Cave Hole and drags them down into his dark watery domain.

References

{{Jurassic Coast Isle of Portland Jurassic Coast