WEYMOUTHAttractions abound in and around Weymouth. Soft golden sands beckon – sunbathing, safe swimming and paddling, ice creams, Punch & Judy shows, boating. There are lakes, museums, an aquarium and two shopping centres. That is before venturing out to the countryside around. A bit faded in appearance perhaps but the loyal crowds come back to this well loved seaside in its sheltered bay. The Esplanade is now hotels and apartments for the enjoyment of holiday makers. Guest Houses, B & B's and self catering accommodation can be found in the town and camping and caravan parks beyond.
There are all types of accommodation both in and around the town. Hotels on the front with lovely sea views, or perhaps a B & B farther in. There are always the little country cottages in the Dorset countryside. With the Olympics and the summer crowds in mind in 2012 accommodation is going to be difficult to get perhaps. It would be as well to book early if you can.As there are over 200 events held during the year it would be bad luck not to have one during a stay. The Carnival in August is a most popular event. There will be a big parade, aerial events, stalls, fun of the fair. All the enjoyment of a seaside festival. Weymouth is set halfway along the Jurassic Coast, England's first World Heritage site and ideally situated for exploring this ancient geology. 95 miles of stunning coastline with incredible views along the Dorset and Devon coastlines. The South West Coastal path runs the entire length of the Jurassic coast and smaller paths link making shorter walks. Now styled Weymouth and Portland Borough Council with the merger of Weymouth with the Urban District of Portland, the area is looking to the future. Regeneration is taking place as they gear up for the 2012 hosting of the Olympic sailing events in Portland Harbour. Weymouth and Portland waters have already been host to “Cutty Sark” Tall ships race three times. The area held the trials for the Athens Olympics and other eminent national and international sailing championships. These waters have been credited as the best sailing in Northern Europe so it augers well for 2012. Old Harbour Considered one of the most picturesque harbours in Europe. A harbour probably from Saxon times and possibly earlier Roman habitation. The present waterfront is 17th century, old cottages and houses band together. It is the mouth of the short five and a half mile long River Wey which rises in the Upwey Wishing Well and runs through the now Weymouth suburbs of Upwey, Broadwey, Radipole and through Radipole Lake to the Harbour. Bustling still with life it is home to the fishing fleet that has found harbour here for centuries. Watch the catch being landed – different sorts of sea fish, crabs and lobsters. That's why the fish and chips are so good! Speedboats can be hired, diving trips arranged or check out the boat trips from the harbour. Channel Island Ferry This busy, picturesque harbour of Weymouth not only still holds a fishing fleet it is home to the Channel Island ferry. These roomy and comfortable ferries run 7 crossings weekly to both Guernsey and Jersey. There are also 7 crossings weekly to St Malo in France.Day trips to Guernsey and Jersey available! Nothe Fort Impressive, imposing and a major landmark. The views are nothing less than magnificent – into Weymouth, over to Chesil Beach, the Isle of Portland and the Dorset coast. A camera is a necessity!!! The fort is on the south side of Weymouth Harbour and it juts out into the sea. What history is here? Invasions must have been seen from this promontory. Roman, Viking, the Armada? No wonder it is a warning beacon site. Deep Sea Adventure Captivating - Two floors of tales of the deep. Audio visual and interactive displays illuminating underwater adventures and nautical deeds from the 1600's to now. Includes the Titanic disaster exhibition. Take the kids to Sharky's afterwards or you will not see the rest of the exhibition! Sharky's is a great idea for a wet day in more ways than one! You will find this delightful venue on Custom House Quay. Hope Square The Square, close to the harbour breathes bars, cafes and bistros Brewers Quay An inimitable shopping and leisure complex with cobbled streets and paved courtyards. It was developed from what was a Victorian brewery in Hope Square. Arts and crafts have a strong presence with local and international vendors. Time can disappear without trace while visiting these fascinating outlets selling collectables. There are specialist gifts of all kinds from a nautical flavour, through Thomas Hardy items to candles jewellery and scarves. Plus the cards to go with them. Heritage Zone in the complex has three attractions. There are specialist food and drink places, and to cap it off visit the Courtyard Restaurant and/or The Excise House and Pub. Fun for the kids in the Childrens Zone.
Tudor House This little gem can be found in Trinity Street. It is a pity there are so few of these ancient houses left. Shows what it would have been like to be a middle class family and living in the 1600's. The house is not open all the time. June to September it is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 1pm to the last entry at 3.45pm. Winter openings are October to May and only on the first Sunday of the month from 2 to 4pm. Boot Inn One of Weymouth's oldest pubs and situated in High Street West. Another Tudor gem. It is said to be haunted by a seamen in heavy sea boots! A pint in a haunted pub - hmmmm! Greenhill Gardens Overlooking the sea these beautiful gardens are enchanting. Walk in the morning when the air is fresh, for pleasant afternoon stroll or a wander in the cool of the evening as the sun goes down. What ever time of day they captivate the eye. It is hardly surprising they have a Green Flag for excellence. Walking is not the only pastime. Putting courses are always fun, here there is an 18 hole one. Energetic – four tennis courts await. Remarkable is the Schneider Trophy Weathervane. As a Flight Lieutenant, George Stainforth set a world air speed record of 406.92 mph in a Schneider supermarine S6B seaplane in 1931. (he was later a Wing Commander) The Trophy was originally presented to Weymouth College where he had been a student. George Stainforth held another record, he flew upside down for twelve minutes. As a superb airman he was an experimental pilot at Farnborough. He was also a holder of the Air Force Cross. While serving in the Western Desert with the RAF during WWII he was killed in a plane crash. The floral clock chimes - cuckoo type chimes. There is a clock house nearby housing the mechanism to keep the clock ticking. The clock has been here since 1936. Money thrown into the Wishing Well is collectd and donated to charity. Bennett's Shelter has been a haven for a well deserved sit down since 1919. However if you fancy an ice cream, a coffee or a bite to eat there are two cafes for your pleasure. Nothe Fort can be seen from Greenhills Park – look out across the bay. Lodmoor Country Park A 350 acre country park within a pleasant fifteen minute walk of the town centre - from the Esplanade walk through Greenhill Gardens and in to the Park. If you fancy continuing walking there are lovely footpaths to explore. Wind your way through green countryside over little bridges, past trees and shrubs. If you are on a spring walk you will be particularly lucky – carpets of daffodils line the walks. Perhaps with Wordsworth your “heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils” Nature Reserve Walk on into the nature reserve. The world is miles away. A two and a half mile walk that is a real pleasure, whatever the season. Wheelchair friendly too. Wander amongst a wet grassland and saltmarsh environment with small reed beds and open water. This habitat caters for a wide variety of both land and water birds. Bring your binoculars. Observation points around the reserve enable a viewer to bird watch for hours. A good spot to take the children for their first bird watching trip, there is so much to see. Just a taster: Spring time – Soft spring sunshine, showers, warblers squabbling noisily amongst the reeds, courtship displays, insects making trills in the calm open water, fish rising, swallows, swifts and martins arriving for the summer season, birds making nests, rustling amongst the reeds, coots swimming and darting into the reeds. Lodmoor has a large colony of fascinating common terns visible right through the year. This place is a joy - and not just for the serious bird watcher. Sealife Park and Marine Sanctuary Also within Lodmoor Country Park. Indoor and outdoor attractions. Close encounters of the aquatic kind. Sanctuaries for seals, penguins and otters. Take the children to see the delightful seahorses. A serious seahorse breeding programme is getting success. Wander through the underwater tunnel in the turtle sanctuary. Then there is the facility for the freshwater terrapins. Never been to the Amazon? Explore the rainforest in Sealife Park. Then of course there is the Tropical Shark Lagoon. Put the kids in their own lagoon! With all that water they will want to get wet. Great outdoor facility – with everything splashy. Cafe and gift shop. Rio Grande Railway In the summer season this model railway runs round the events area in Lodmoor Country Park for the benefit of visitors. Other facilities in Lodmoor Country Park A small cafe for a cuppa. Weymouth has two bird sancturies – the other and equally beautiful is Radipole Lake. Like Lodmoor it too is in the centre of the town. Paths are suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Large numbers of birds are attracted by the habitat and summer and winter there is plenty to see. Reedbeds, open water, water meadows – bring the binoculars – get lost in the absorbing natural wildlife.
History of Weymouth George III 1738-1820 is responsible for making Weymouth what it is today. It was his favourite place to spend his summer holidays between 1789 and 1805. Well who could blame him! Soft sandy beaches, lovely bay, warm gentle climate... Medicinal qualities of the waters were said to be good for the health. George III bought Gloucester House from his brother and made it his summer home. Did eighteenth century Royal children frolic on those soft golden sands and paddle in the gentle waves as children do today. Tributes to George III can be seen, the most obvious is the horse and rider cut into the chalk hill at Osmington. It faces away from Weymouth and King George III took offence for it looked as though Weymouth did not want him. The opposite was definitely true. A painted statue to George III stands on the seafront. It was renovated in 2007/8. With George III's presence of course came the aristocracy and the well heeled and these account for the elegant Georgian and Regency architecture running in a graceful arc along the Espanade. In front is the brightly coloured Jubilee Clock erected for the 50th year of the reign of George III's grandaughter, Queen Victoria in 1887. As well as one to George III, there is a statue to Queen Victoria on the Esplanade. Weymouth never looked back. One of the original seaside resorts it has grown and developed to be a favourite of hundreds of tourists. Originally the fishing villages of Melcombe Regis and Weymouth, by the middle of the thirteenth century the harbour became a seaport. It was probaly Anglo Saxon in origin but not much is known of this era. Melcombe Regis exported wool and Weymouth imported wine from France. They both supplied ships and men to the monarch of the time. The centre of Weymouth was originally Melcombe Regis and Weymouth was the twin village on the south shore of the bay. These two fishing villages were rivals giving rise to many arguments over the use of the harbour. Elizabeth I acted as referee and in 1571 she made them the double borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. Over the years this has been shortened to Weymouth. Disaster - Melcombe Regis is said to be one of the points of entry for the Black Death in 1348. It is thought that two million people died throughout the country along with most of the Melcombe Regis area.. Many villages were deserted. As a consequence labour was short and wages became higher with increased mobility of the population. Even so the foundation of society had not changed and the shortage of labour eventually evened out. Britain had changed forever. Return from Weymouth to Dorset Return to Home |
2012 is Olympic Year and Weymouth will have lots of visitors. Not only the faithful who love this lovely seaside town and come often, but there will be hundreds of people involved with the Olympics at Portland as well - participant crews, their support teams and those that come to watch these stunning events from those spectacular vantage points above Portland Bay. Once in a lifetime event for Portland and Weymouth.
Accommodation is going to be scarce in 2012. Weymouth will be the accommodation centre for the Olympic sailing as Portland is not a large place delightful as it is. It might be a good idea to book your holiday or break in Weymouth as soon as possible!!!!!
There are all sorts of accommodation in all types of hotels in Weymouth. If it is a country cottage that you would love there are some delightful ones in the surrounding villages. If you do run late you could try this link, you may be lucky, but it would be better not to leave it to chance!