Weymouth — Dorset’s Classic Seaside Resort

Weymouth is the seaside as it’s meant to be. King George III came here to bathe in the 1780s and made the town England’s first true resort — and nearly 250 years later, the wide golden beach, Georgian esplanade and bustling harbour still deliver the classic British seaside day better than almost anywhere on the south coast.

The Beach

Weymouth’s beach is the town’s crown jewel — soft golden sand shelving so gently into shallow, sheltered water that it’s one of the safest family swimming beaches in Britain. The old pleasures survive in style: donkey rides, Punch and Judy, pedalos and deckchairs, plus the famous sand sculptors whose creations have amazed visitors here for over a century. Behind it all curves the esplanade with its pastel Georgian terraces and the splendidly painted Jubilee Clock.

The Harbour and Nothe Fort

A few minutes’ walk brings you to the historic harbour, where fishing boats and yachts crowd a quayside lined with pubs and seafood restaurants — cross on the little rowing-boat ferry for the full experience. On the headland beyond stands Nothe Fort, a Victorian sea fortress with three storeys of gunnery, tunnels and coastal views, and nearby SEA LIFE Weymouth adds penguins, otters and seahorses to the family list. The town’s sailing pedigree is world-class too — the 2012 Olympic sailing events were held on these waters off Portland.

Gateway to the Jurassic Coast

Weymouth makes a superb base for exploring England’s only natural World Heritage Site. Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove are half an hour east, the wild Isle of Portland and Chesil Beach begin at the town’s edge, and fossil-hunting beaches stretch in both directions.

Visiting Weymouth

Weymouth is well served by direct trains from London Waterloo and Bristol, and the seafront car parks fill early on summer weekends — arrive before mid-morning in high season. The resort is at its liveliest from May to September, but a bright off-season day here, with the beach almost to yourself and fish and chips on the harbour wall, is one of Dorset’s quiet pleasures.

Where to stay:   Holiday Parks  •  Holiday Cottages  •  Last Minute Breaks