Dorset must see’s & do’s please

[Nanana1]

Hello,

We are in Dorset (near Weymouth) for a week and would love to hear some recommendations of what to do, see and eat please. TIA

If you have children, how old are they? What sort of things do you enjoy?

Etches Collection fossil museum
Bovington tank museum

The tank museum, monkey world are both great and Lyme Regis is lovely. Studland is a beautiful beach and you can do a boat trip to Brownsea Island from Poole to see the red squirrels.

@BlueChampagne sorry! 8 and 9. Like most things.

Somewhere in that area is a field with dinosaur footprints in the rocky surface. All very low key but quite awe inspiring. I'll have a quick Google and see if I can find more detail.

Sorry, it's a bit far from Weymouth, it's near Langton Matravers, Google Spyway dinosaur footprints. If you are going in that direction, Durlston Country Park is with a visit.

I would want to visit Thomas Hardy's birthplace but perhaps not of interest to your children.

Blue Pool near Furzebrook is lovely for a walk in a shaded wood around a lake. Nice tea room and a play area too. We always head here when we are in that part of Dorset.

Lulworth cove awsome.

We also go to Monkey World in Wareham for a day out. I second the suggestion about getting the ferry from Poole to Brownsea, it's so lovely and you could spend all day on the island if you wanted too.

Corfe Castle is also good for an explore, if you have a National Trust membership there's a lot of places in Dorset.

We tend to get the steam train from Swanage to Corfe Castle.

£10 for four hours parking though 😮

Thanks all, will investigate the suggestions.

Open top bus from Weymouth to Portland Bill, ice cream at The Lobster Pot.

Thanks for this thread OP! We're going close by too and these tips are really helpful

Tout Quarry on Portland. Maiden Castle, Dorchester. Kingston Maurward, Dorchester. All free, too😁
https://www.visit-dorset.com/listing/tout-quarry-nature-reserve-and-sculpture-park/63002301/
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/maiden-castle/

https://discoverdorchester.co.uk/place/kingston-maurward-animal-park-gardens/

Moors Valley country park has loads to do. Last time I went it was free entry, you just paid to park.

We did a a fossil hunt - we had a 30 min, interesting and fun talk about how to spot fossils then had a guided trip along the beach to find some - amazing - it made us see the beach entirely differently and found loads! We just googled fossil hunting - ours was run by Martin - brilliant! Kids loved it!

If you go looking for the dino footprints they are just off a footpath called The Priest's Way, between Acton and Worth Matravers. Also iguanodon prints in Corfe's tiny museum, and if you go to the Square and Compass pub at Worth the landlord has a small fossil museum there. The easiest places for fossil hunting are Kimmeridge and along the beach between Chideock and Charmouth.

Moors Valley is very far away from Weymouth, it's the other side of Bournemouth! Also, while it is free to enter, parking is insanely expensive and I think there's better, closer places for OP; like the Blue Pool.

Portland bill lighthouse is fab
https://www.visit-dorset.com/listing/tyneham-village/13633301/ this is an abandoned village which is fascinating

Paddleboarding in lulworth is amazing!

Lyme Regis - beach, dinosaur museum, arcades, aquarium, mini golf.

Corfe castle- National Trust castle, steak
train ride to swanage.

Studland (Knoll) beach - lovely and shallow, NT tea room. get there early.

Lulworth and Durdle Door- beach, visitor centre

Kimmeridge - visitor centre at the bay and the fossil museum in the village.

Charmouth- fossil hunting tour on beach- we got loads.

Abbotsbury swanage and gardens.

Portland Bill lighthouse and quarry.

Brownsea island - from
Bournemouth.

Tyneham village - evacuated and now a museum.

I’m sure I’ll think of some more!

The Donkey Sanctuary is just over into Devon but it’s well worth a visit. Parking and entrance are free. The cafe serves lovely food. The donkeys are adorable and there are plenty of staff around to tell you about them.

My personal recommendation is to avoid Lulworth Cove - massive pebbles on a tiny beach where on a busy day you’ll be able to reach out and touch the people sitting next to you and parking is ££££

We enjoyed the Tank Museum and Monkey World a few years ago.

Would second all these and add The Tank Museum! It also gives you free return within the year and DS10 loved it.

We love this too!

There's a dinosaur museum in dorchester.
Clifftop walk over in Osmington or Ringstead.
Should be swings & trampolines on weymouth beach right now. There's also a ferry (row boat) that you can get to take you across the harbour.
Corfe Castle & the steam train as others have said
Think there's a sealife centre in weymouth?
Portland lighthouse is a nice walk.
Moreton has a shin-deep ford great for paddling in if you want to get away from the beaches

Swanage is lovely for a day at the seaside, and you can get the steam train to Corfe Castle and back.