Vibrant Weymouth feels just like the English seaside should
All summer we are taking the pulse of our most famous traditional seaside towns, examining the efforts being made to regenerate them, and reflecting on whether they are still worth visiting. This week, Teresa Machan explores Weymouth.
There’s a dinosaur on my bus. I think it’s an allosaurus, a behemoth that grew to 12 metres long and roamed the Jurassic Coast 152 to 145 million years ago. Also depicted on the sides of the Weymouth-bound Jurassic Breezer are some colourful beach huts, an arc of golden sand framed by the sea, and a bright yellow sun. It’s all feeling very Dorset.
According to Weymouth Museum the town’s first travel guide to the resort was published in 1785, but it was a visit four years later by George III, who sought “the cure”, that sealed the deal.
If there is a seaside town with a more enviable location, I can’t think of it. Among the clutch of scenic jewels on Weymouth’s doorstep are Durdle Door, West Bay (as seen in ITV’s Broadchurch) and Lulworth Cove – all part of the Unesco-protected Jurassic Coast. East and west of the town the South West Coast Path undulates over a veritable mille-feuille of fossil-rich cliffs.
Connected to Weymouth by a ribbon of road is the Isle of Portland and to the west lies that iconic, 18-mile-long shingle bar, Chesil Beach.
What’s it really like?
The Jurassic Breezer (number 30) that I’d boarded in Swanage dropped me on the Esplanade near the King’s Statue. The sand was as yellow as butter, the sea a spectrum of blues, and screaming to be paddled in.
Weymouth’s jigsaw of parts disperses visitors to the Esplanade which fronts a long, gently-shelving beach, the town centre, the Old Harbour and the historical sea fort and its neighbouring garden and picnic area overlooking Weymouth and Portland harbours. Within walking distance are the RSPB Weymouth Wetlands reserves of Lodmoor and Radipole Lake, with their nature trails. There’s plenty to fill a short stay.
I made for the Old Harbour, ravished by golden hour light. Fishing trawlers offloaded their creels onto Custom House Quay, a couple threw a rug over the harbour wall and opened a bottle of wine, children fished for crabs and yachties furled their sails for the night. RNLI Lifeboat Ernest and Mabel cruised back into port and bobbing among the yachts, fishing trawlers and sailing boats was a cheeky number called Red Hot Granny.
Weymouth’s cross-harbour rowing ferry makes a fun alternative to the swing bridge. Bob the ferryman has been at it for 25 years and looked appalled when I suggested he put his prices up (￡2, cash only, for the short crossing).
There’s a vibrancy about the Old Harbour. Two historic buildings, the Old Fish Market and John Deheers building, a former grain warehouse built in Flemish brick, are beautifully restored: De Heers as the e-Bike Cafe and the fish market as a fishmongers and Michelin-listed restaurant.
Among the pastel-hued cottages, pubs, cafes and restaurants and stone buildings that curve around the quay is a chandlers selling sailmakers’ needles, anchors and everything in between, the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, a dive centre (120 sites within a 20-mile radius, I’m told) and the all-important Harbour Master building. Inside, a compelling, if eye-wateringly complex nautical map of the central English Channel covered half a wall.
“People like to round the [Portland] Bill, which is quite a technical sail, and we get day-trippers from Yarmouth [Isle of Wight], Poole and Guernsey. And then there are the French rallies,” said berthing master Richard Drabwell.
I’d downloaded QR codes for street mural, art and heritage trails. I picked up the Beach and Harbour history trail, waymarked by pavement plaques, and followed it over the swing bridge that straddles the Wey, finishing at the Tudor House Museum. From there I turned into Hope Square, where a handsome Grade-II listed Victorian brewery is being converted into Weymouth’s new museum.
“We’re proud of our town,” read the scaffolding banners. “Your new museum will celebrate all that’s best about Weymouth.”
Investment helps but community spirit appears to be alive and well – as evidenced by the 120 volunteers that helped rebuild and now staff Nothe Fort, the bunting and flower baskets that decorate shopping thoroughfares, the waymarking and Civic Society plaques that direct and inform tourists, the off-season events and festivals that help sustain businesses year-round and the restaurateurs who speak highly of their rivals.
Around town there is resounding support for the local RNLI. In Hope Square I ordered a pint at the Red Lion pub and sat outside under the trees. “10p from every pint of our Famous Lifeboat Ale goes straight to our local crew. Saving lives one pint at a time!” read a sign behind the bar.
Back on the Esplanade, families and walkers were soaking up the late-afternoon sunshine. I bought a cherry ice-cream from Rossi’s Ices and sank my toes into Weymouth’s floury sand (there’s science involved: a grain of Weymouth sand is less than half the size of an average sand particle).
It felt just like the English seaside should.
What to do
Recently crowned Small Attraction of the Year by Visit England (Awards for Excellence 2024), Nothe Fort is a must-see. Many of the exhibitions, including a ghost tunnel, a nuclear bunker and a recreation of a 1940s grocer are in a warren of underground tunnels that offer respite from the elements. The ramparts offer 360-degree views of the Jurassic Coast and Isle of Portland (nothefort.org.uk).
A mural of The Last Supper by local artist John Thornhill can be seen in the cupola of St Mary’s Church. Thornhill’s other prominent works decorate the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral and The Painted Hall in Greenwich.
Stay in a beach-themed room at the Smuggler’s Inn in the seaside hamlet of Osmington. The former smuggler’s den is in a valley beside a stream and offers access to beaches and walks along the South West Coast Path.
The augmented reality Dinosaur Trail is a great way to explore the town.
Follow the family-friendly Rodwell Trail, explore Weymouth’s nature reserves or cycle across the Isle of Portland to Portland Bill on a tandem, tagalong, hybrid or mountain bike.
What not to do
Don’t mention the plague. The Black Death entered England through the port in 1348 and killed between 30 and 40 per cent of the population.
Avoid seafront parking. Use the coastal hop-on and hop-off bus service or Park & Ride facility instead. A ￡6.50 group day ticket allows travel all day for up to five people.
Don’t go looking for McDonald’s. It upped sticks in 2023.
What to eat
When I visited the Stone Pier Café, Bob Marley was playing and a sign said “Crab is in.” I ordered a Portland crab sandwich (￡11.95) and a Cerne Abbas ale. “Watch out for the seagull,” said my server. “He’s vicious.”
For sea-to-plate fine dining book a table at Catch in the Old Fish Market. If you’re not hungry enough for the tasting menu (lunch ￡45; dinner ￡75), enjoy the same harbourside views downstairs, at Hatch, which serves diver-caught scallops, lobster rolls and fish and chips.
Order a scoop, ice-cream soda or a sundae at Rossi’s Ices. Generations of Rossis have been serving small-batch ice cream at this retro seafront parlour since the 1930s.
Gluten-free fish and chips? Yep, they’re a thing. I tried them – not because I’m a coeliac but because a chip-chomping tourist said they were the best in town. The Old Harbour Fish and Chips (Edmunds Street) also does meal deals and kids’ portions.
From the tourists
Linda Smith from Nottingham was buying just-landed lobster at harbourside fishmongers, Weyfish. “My husband brought me here 46 years ago on our first holiday and we’ve visited every year since, with our children and then our grandchildren. We have a holiday abroad too but we always do a week in Weymouth. The sea’s safe, the sand’s clean and it feels like a home from home.”
Alison Magill, from Limerick, Ireland, was on the beach with her three children. “We come because it’s flat and shallow and has a lifeguard station and a Park & Ride. The loos are good too – there are plenty of places where you don’t want to use the loos at all.”
Pensioners Marylin, Joan and David, from Chesterfield, were sunning themselves on a bench at the Old Harbour. “Next time I’ll bring my yacht,” said David. “We came by coach and are staying at the Rex Hotel,” said Marilyn. “We like Weymouth because it’s very flat. And this view is lovely.”
From a local
“Our Blue Flag beach is Weymouth’s jewel but we offer a lot more besides,” said e-Bike Café owner Josephine Parker. “Covid provided a springboard for change. There are some excellent restaurants and it’s great to see so many independents flourishing in the town.”
How to get there
South Western Railway and Great Western Railway serve Weymouth. Dorchester is seven miles north and scenic buses connect key sights along the Jurassic Coast.
