Top 10 things to see and do in Weymouth, Dorset

1. Walk round Portland Bill Lighthouse

Portland Bill Lighthouse (c) Lucy Woods

The picturesque drive to Portland Bill Lighthouse, previous Chesil Beach and alongside a hilly, winding highway, is definitely worth the journey alone. As we arrived on the lighthouse, the stormy clouds and dramatic clifftop background added to the drama.

The lighthouse itself, which stands at a formidable 41m (135ft) excessive, has been safeguarding the marina for over 5 centuries. Learn concerning the constructing’s historical past and lighthouse keepers on the customer centre, and climb the 153 steps to the lantern room for some fabulous views of the Jurassic Coast.

Make positive you permit time to discover the lighthouse’s rocky environment, marvel on the crashing waves and scent that salty sea air.

2. Discover Weymouth’s ruins

On your means again from Portland Lighthouse, make a detour to Church Ope Cove, a showering cove shut to the village of Wakeham. The path to the cove takes you underneath the arch bridge of the ruins of Rufus Castle, which date to the 15^th century. The cobbled path that takes you from the cove again to the principle highway is so fairly, with crumbling archways and pink wildflowers concealing historic gravestones.

The different wreck value a go to is Sandsfoot Castle, which overlooks the cliffs shut to the Rodwell Trail. The artillery fort was constructed on the orders of Henry VIII however fell into wreck by the early 18^th century.

3. Cycle the Rodwell path

The Rodwell Trail is a 2-mile trailway that follows a disused railway line and is appropriate for walkers, scooters, bicycles and mobility scooters. The picturesque path is totally surfaced and takes in some pretty views of Portland Harbour and Sandsfoot Castle. This is a well-liked spot for birdwatching, and it’s possible you’ll even see an ideal noticed woodpecker.

The trailway leads on to the causeway that connects Weymouth to Portland, and it’s doable to lengthen your cycle on the Portland Legacy Trail.

We stopped at Taste Café at Chesil seaside for a spot of lunch and a wander. I actually loved my Portland crab sandwich with a glass of glowing elderflower.

4. Paddle Board at Castle Cove

Paddle Boarding is all the fad for the time being, and for good motive. It is easy to be taught, stress-free and doesn’t require excessive ranges of health. You can both sit on the board or get up and propel your self ahead as you admire the beautiful seaside views.

You can head out to Weymouth Beach to paddleboard, however if you’re a newbie, it’s possible you’ll desire Castle Cove, a secluded sandy seaside with pretty shallow waters and few waves. Parking is free on the hill above the cove, and after we arrived, the place was abandoned aside from a few households and one different lone paddleboarder.

Dorset Outdoor Activity Hire (DOAH) lease out paddleboards and ship and acquire them straight to your door. They present every little thing you want, together with wetsuits, life jackets and air pumps to inflate your paddleboard.

5. Explore Weymouth Harbour

The picturesque harbour has a 17^th century waterfront and varieties the mouth of the River Wey. Historic buildings in a vivid array of pastel colors line either side of the harbour.

If you’re craving for a pint, there’s a formidable focus of pubs alongside the waterfront – we counted a minimum of eight from our perch on the Harbour bridge. The Kings Arms serves a superb pint of Guinness has been extremely really useful.

Don’t miss a go to to Bennett’s for a plate of fish & chips (conveniently situated subsequent to The Kings Arms). A transparent fan favorite, Bennett’s launched 32 years in the past and serves top-of-the-line fish & chips I’ve eaten in a very long time. The servings are monumental, so go for a medium except you’ve gotten the urge for food of a really hungry horse.

6. Zoom alongside the water on a wildlife RIB tour

Weymouth Harbour can be the spot to guide a ship tour and take in views of the Georgian seafront and Portland Harbour, and Nothe Fort.

We joined a one-hour RIB tour with Weymouth Bay Rib Charters (£25 per particular person) and zoomed off to sail across the large cruise ships, together with a real behemoth named Norwegian Bliss, waving cheerfully to the folks on board. The wildlife facet of the tour concerned looking for Weymouth’s two resident dolphins, each randomly named Gary. Alas, no Gary’s appeared, but it surely was nonetheless jolly good enjoyable.

7. Meet the penguins at Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park

If you (like me) love penguins and seals, then spend a morning at Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park. The centre is house to two species of penguins: Humboldt Penguins and Fairy penguins – and they’re by no means a disappointment when it comes to cuteness.

The centre is break up into 12 completely different themed zones, one of many latest being the blue-spotted stingrays on the Tropical Lagoon. I actually loved the Shipwreck space containing sea goblins, noticed horny shrimp (sure, that’s their title) and weird upside-down jellyfish.

8. Take a self-guided tour of Nothe Fort

Nothe Fort, situated only a brief stroll from Weymouth Harbour, is a Palmerston fort constructed in 1860 to defend Britain from French invasion. In World War II, it was used as a nuclear bunker and gunning placement, and to this present day, it shows some spectacular heavy machine weapons.

Visitors can discover three ranges, taking in some implausible views of Portland harbour from the ramparts. The mid-level is the Victorian gun deck degree, and the decrease degree is the place ammunition was saved.

I significantly loved exploring the tunnels of the decrease degree, which comprises quite a few mini exhibitions detailing Nothe Fort’s World War Two historical past. It additionally comprises an unbelievable collection of fashions depicting naval and land battles.

9. Visit one of many UK’s coolest cocktail bars

Weymouth has some nice pubs and bars, however few can high The PlayYard Cocktail Bar on St Thomas Street.

Lavishly embellished with blossom bushes, hanging wall-art by native artists and a geometrical patterned ceiling, the bar opened throughout the pandemic and has been an enormous hit with the locals ever since.

The menu’s focus is their “magical creations”, a collection of unique cocktails that utilise scientific wizardry to make the drinks bubble and smoke.

We began with the strawberry volcano, a rum-based cocktail that promised “Volcanic Smokey Eruptions” and didn’t disappoint. It additionally tasted scrumptious, and importantly, wasn’t too candy.

Most cocktails value £8 and are beneficiant in amount and flavour.

10. Tuck into an ideal British curry at Shalims

If you like curry, you then want to guide a desk at Shalims. The British Indian curry home on Commercial Road opened its doorways in 2000 and serves up a mouth-watering menu of traditional curries and chef specialities.

We dined there on a Monday evening, and the place was packed. I selected the Balti Special Masala for my fundamental accompanied by mushroom rice, and the flavours have been beautiful. My husband tucked into the Laal Maas, spicy lamb curry with ginger and garlic, and judging by the massive smile on his face; it was successful. This was the proper finish to our keep in Weymouth.

Fact file

Where to keep: St John’s Guesthouse is only a stone’s throw from Weymouth’s seaside, with pleasant hospitality, nice breakfast and free parking. We suggest reserving one of many newly refurbished King rooms, beginning at £140 per evening excessive season.

Getting there: It takes round three hours to drive to Weymouth – we suggest reserving a lodge with free parking because it’s not the simplest place to discover parking. If you’re travelling by prepare, the station is barely a 5-minute stroll from the seaside and a 15-minute stroll to the harbour.

For extra data, go to https://weareweymouth.co.uk/