Work miles away, close to Dutch port (8)
I believe the answer is:
plymouth
'port' is the definition.
(port in Devon)
'work miles away close to dutch' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'ply' (to ply a trade is to work at it).
'miles' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'away' becomes 'out' (synonyms).
'close to' indicates one should take the final letters (the close/ending of).
The final letter of 'dutch' is 'h'.
'ply'+'m'+'out'+'h'='PLYMOUTH'
(Other definitions for plymouth that I've seen before include "Devon port city" , "Mayflower departure, arrival port" , "The Pilgrim Fathers landed in USA on . . . Rock" , "that the Pilgrims left" , "Laughter my ploy (anag)" .)