How To Spend An Amazing Weekend In Dorset – 12 Things To Do In Weymouth & Portland, Dorset
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Weymouth. Seaside resort with beautiful, sandy beach and clear sea. I was looking for a new town to move to when I found this one on Google Maps. It stayed on my mind for almost a year before I treated myself and booked a holiday in Weymouth. There was one big issue though: the entire journey was supposed to take around 6 hours and included four different types of transportation. That’s a lot. I hate long journeys, but luckily, I could extend my holiday and combine my already planned stay in London with a trip to Weymouth. It was a great idea to split the journey in half!
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Weekend in Weymouth
So, here we are. For the purpose of this post, we’ll start the journey at London Waterloo train station, where we boarded the 9.30am train. The journey took around 3 hours and was full of beautiful landscapes. If you live in London, Weymouth is definitely one of the best spots to go on a day trip or weekend staycation.
In this post, I’m going to run through the best things to do in Portland and Weymouth in order we did them. Let’s go!
Day 1: How to spend a day in Weymouth
After arriving in Weymouth, I couldn’t resist and went to the beach immediately. We haven’t been living by the sea for years, so I was very impatient and couldn’t wait any longer. Our hotel was located close to the beach, so we could admire the beautiful views of the blue sea on our way there. I’ve never seen such clear water before!
This time round, we stayed at the Premier Inn Weymouth Seafront. I’m very hesitant to stay in local B&Bs, unfortunately, and Premier Inn is usually my go to. I know I’m probably missing out a lot because of it!
Weymouth Beach
After we checked-in at the hotel, we went back to the Weymouth Beach. The water was icy, so it was impossible to go for a swim, at least for me. I saw some people in the water, though, which was crazy to me. Just around a corner, a man was trying to take off on a paraglider. People seemed to really enjoy their time there.
Weymouth Harbour
We did what we enjoy doing the most – wander around the town with no end goal in mind. That’s how we found ourselves at the Weymouth Harbour. I was very surprised that even though it was early Friday afternoon, all the cafes and pubs we walked past through were packed to the brim. I found the harbour itself to be very charming. You can find there the Town Bridge, a lifting bridge that operates on schedule. I would love to see it in action, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to this time.
Chesil Beach
In the late afternoon, we headed out to the Chesil Beach, one of three major shingle beach structures in the UK. It’s 18 miles (29 kilometres) long and runs from West Bay to the Isle of Portland. It looks spectacular, especially from Portland! We’ve seen many fishers on the beach, which actually surprised me because I didn’t think there would be any fish so close to the shore. I didn’t feel comfortable walking on the sea level, so we just sat on the pebbles and enjoyed the sunshine.
And that’s how we spent our first day in Dorset. Walking around the town and simply enjoying being by the sea was a great way to recharge and clear our minds. It was our very first holiday trip in years that we didn’t spend visiting family or running errands, so it was lovely to just take it easy and relax.
Day 2: What to do in Portland, Dorset
We started our second day of the trip very early in the morning. The goal was to walk around the entire Isle of Portland. We took the bus number 1 from the town centre towards Southwell and spent around half an hour enjoying beautiful views of the isle and the sea on our way to the centre of Portland.
Lunch at Height Hotel
We got off the bus near Heights Hotel, where we stopped by for an early birthday lunch. Food was delicious and views mesmerising! From the restaurant, you can enjoy views of the Chesil Beach, harbour, and more.
We spotted the Olympic Rings Stone Sculpture nearby, so we took a few photos before heading back to the bus stop to catch the bus towards Tesco. After getting some snacks and drinks, we followed the Southwell Road to see if it’s possible to get closer to the cliff edge.
South West Coastal Path
We saw some Coastal Path signs on our way, but it looked like they were leading down the cliffs. Not knowing the area and where this path would lead us to, we decided to stick to the road for the time being. With the hide tide incoming, it felt risky to go down to the beach. Some time later, though, we joined the SW Coastal Path as it allowed us to walk near the cliff’s edge.
Views were truly amazing! The colour of the sea mesmerised me, as I’ve never seen such blue water before. The sky was clear, and the sun was shining, so the weather was literally perfect for the day out. I even tanned a bit! High, grey cliffs towered above the sea and allowed us to find many secluded areas where we could admire the views in quiet.
Cave Hole
While we were continuing our walk close to the cliff edge, we came across Cave Hole. Two guys attached a line to the cliffs and tried walking on it. Many people stopped by to watch them.
After taking a lot of photos, we decided to quickly head out to the lighthouse, which was already at our fingertips. I was pretty tired at that point, so I welcomed the opportunity to sit down and rest for a bit. We got some ice cream cones from The Lobster Pot, and just sat on the cliffs enjoying the views. The blue sea didn’t stop to amaze me.
Tour the Portland Bill Lighthouse
After a while, we strolled to the Portland Bill Lighthouse, just in time for the last tour of the day. Going up the lighthouse was scary for me, and I honestly thought about giving up at some point. Very narrow steps finished with a ladder make me very anxious any time I think about it. The views were worth it, though! Our tour guide was an older man who talked about how everything works with passion. As we were the only people on this tour, he also spent some time chatting about his family and where they came from, as it turned out, that he has Polish roots. That was so cool!
The sun was shining straight into our faces throughout the entire tour, so it was difficult to take any photos from the above.
After touring the lighthouse, we headed back to the hotel. We were adamant to go back to the start point on foot, so we head back along the SW Coastal Path. The western side of the isle had an entirely different vibe and views weren’t so appealing to us. Therefore, we decided against looking for a path leading along the cliff’s edge and ended up walking on the path surrounded by high grass and nothing else. We were so exhausted that we quickly decided to go to the nearest village and look for a bus stop, anyway.
The Isle of Portland is hilly, which I didn’t expect at all. It looked like it was a good idea to catch a bus, as the views were much better than what we saw during our walk along the west coast. Overall, we did around 14 kilometres by foot that day.
Day 3: Going back home
The last day in Weymouth was bitter sweet. Even though I couldn’t wait to get back home, I really loved the time spent there. I’d stay longer if I only could.
We took the train from Weymouth to London around 1pm, hoping to get back home in the early evening. Unfortunately, our journey back home was very eventful, and we had to switch trains in Woking. As a result, the entire journey from the Weymouth train station to our home took exactly 9 hours. I was exhausted.
Top 6 things to see in Weymouth, Dorset
Sandworld
Have you ever seen sand sculptures? If no, then you should add Sandworld to your list of places worth to visit in Weymouth. This sand festival is one of just a few ever held in the UK. This year’s theme is “Around the world” and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
SEA LIFE Centre Weymouth
Here’s another attraction perfect for people of all ages. Sharks, seals, jellyfish, octopus, otters… These are just a few out of many species you can see in the Sea Life Centre. Thanks to the abundance of activities and things to see, you won’t even notice when the entire afternoon has gone.
Weymouth Beach
Weymouth Beach is an award-winning sandy beach with a beautiful, clear sea. It became popular thanks to King George III’s frequent visits to town and remained one of the best traditional seaside resorts in the country to this day. Weymouth Beach is a great destination for families, thanks to plenty of attractions for children nearby, lifeguards presence and closeness to the town centre.
Weymouth Harbour
Weymouth Harbour, known also as the Old Harbour, is a home to pleasure boats and private yachts. It empties to the much larger Portland Harbour, where sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games were held.
A lifting bascule bridge separates Weymouth Harbour from the inner harbour, Weymouth Marina. It operates on a schedule, so you can see it in action if you’d like.
While walking around the Weymouth, you might also notice plaques referring to the Black Death. It’s because in 1348 sailors arrived in Weymouth, bringing this illness to the UK. It spread quickly and killed approximately 2 million people in the UK.
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Nothe Fort
Nothe Fort is one of the best heritage attractions in Weymouth. You can find there maze of underground passages, museum of the Fort’s history, and much more. There are also attractions suitable for kids, so visiting Nothe Fort can be a great way to spend a family afternoon.
It’s on a hill, just at the entrance to Weymouth Harbour, which makes it also a brilliant spot to admire the stunning Jurassic Coast. You can also find there Nothe Gardens and Nothe Beach, making it a great escape for the day.
Chesil Beach
This 18 miles (29 kilometres) long shingle barrier beach runs from the West Bay to the Isle of Portland. Behind the beach lies the Fleet Lagoon, one of the few remaining undisturbed brackish lagoons left in the entire world.
Bathing at Chesil Beach can be dangerous, but it’s a brilliant spot to just sit and enjoy the views. If you want to get a great photo of the beach, go to the Heights Hotel in Portland. It looks stunning from up there!
6 amazing things to do in Portland, Dorset
Portland Castle
Portland Castle is an artillery fort built by Henry VIII in the early 1540s to protect against French and Spanish invasion. Thanks to the audio tour, you can learn all about its 450 years history, including a quick lesson about its importance during the First and Second World Wars.
Also, during the tour, you can also enjoy sea views from the gun platforms and go for a walk in the Contemporary Heritage Garden. It’s located a walking distance from the Chesil Beach, making it a great afternoon adventure.
Fancy’s Farm
Fancy’s Family Farm is the home to rare Portland Sheep. You won’t find them anywhere else in Portland! There’s also a playroom and outside toys, which makes it a great place to visit with children. You can also feed animals. Fancy’s Farm is open almost every day and there’s no entry fee. It’s located just by the High Angle Battery and The Verne Local Nature Reserve, so you can easily spend an entire afternoon in one area and not get bored.
Verne High Angle Battery
This 19th century gun battery is a popular a tourist attraction situated close to the Verne Citadel. It was built in 1892 to protect Portland Harbour and decommissioned just 14 years later. Verne High Angle Battery is one of the best-preserved monuments of its type in the country.
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Cave Hole
It’s impossible to miss the Cave Hole if you walk along the coast in Portland. Located just half of a mile (800m) from the Portland Bill Lighthouse, it played a massive part in the history of smuggling in this area. Now, it’s not only a tourist attraction, but it’s also regularly use for climbing, snorkelling, and Deep Water Soloing. We saw a few people rock climbing and two guys walking on a rope, too.
Portland Bill Lighthouse
There are three lighthouses on the Isle of Portland, but only one of them is in use — the Portland Bill Lighthouse. It’s undoubtedly the major attraction on the Isle of Portland. It’s open to the public for tours and I highly recommend it. Even though the trip up the lighthouse can be scary due to narrow stairs and a ladder you need to climb at the end, it’s completely worth it. From the top, you can enjoy impressive views of the English Channel and see the Trinity House Obelisk and Pulpit Rock from the above.
South West Coastal Path
If you enjoy spending your spare time actively, then walking the South West Coastal Path might be the best free things to do in Portland for you. It’s the longest way marked long-distance footpath in England and runs for 630 miles (1014 kilometres). It starts in Minehead, Somerset, and runs all the way around the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Part of the walk that goes all around the Isle of Portland is easily doable in one day and runs for 13 miles (20.9 kilometres). Here you can find all the details of the Isle of Portland Circuit Walk.
Q&A
How to get to Weymouth?
The easiest way to get to Weymouth from London is by taking a train from London Waterloo. The journey takes around 3 hours.
You can also take a National Express bus from London Victoria which can be cheaper than travelling via train, although it takes 3h 40min to get to Weymouth. It’s the slowest and probably the lesser comfortable way of transportation in this case.
The fastest way to get from London to Weymouth is by car, as it takes only 2h 30min on average.
How to get to Portland?
The easiest way to get from Weymouth to the Isle of Portland is by taking a bus number 1 from the town centre towards Southwell. It takes about 40 minutes to get to your destination.
If you want to go for a long walk by the sea, I’d recommend getting off the bus at Easton Square in Easton and start from there.
Is Weymouth nice for a holiday?
Seeing that it’s located just 3.5 hours from London, Weymouth is perfect not only for a holiday but also for a weekend staycation by the sea. With countless hidden gems to discover, plenty of sun, and one of the best beaches in Dorset, you won’t be disappointed, no matter if you just want to relax or go sightseeing and visit new places.
Where are Weymouth and the Isle of Portland?
Weymouth and the Isle of Portland lie in Dorset, at the southern tip of the Jurassic Coast. The southern tip, Portland Bill, is the southernmost point of Dorset county.
Summary
Even though I hate long journeys, it was probably my favourite trip so far, and I’ve been dreaming of going back there ever since. If you’re searching for a nice place by the sea to spend a weekend in, I highly recommend Weymouth. I really enjoyed the entire trip and wish we could spend more time there. Hopefully, one day, I’ll get to visit Dorset once again and visit all those fantastic attractions we missed during our stay.
I mentioned I discovered this town when I was looking for a place to move to, wasn’t I? Well, because of lack of flats to rent, it wasn’t possible, unfortunately. Who knows, maybe one day?