Things to do around Weymouth Bay

[JessieMC]

Hi everyone, We're off to Haven in Weymouth Bay at the start of July and I'd be interested to know what kinds of activities, beaches, restaurants etc people found good for families in the area?

Thanks :)

We visit family in Weymouth regularly and there's lots to do!

My DS (nearly 6) likes scooting along the seafront (which from Overcombe corner to the pavilion is over a mile each way). The Oasis cafe at Overcombe corner is nice to stop at for a snack. Once at the far end, you can pay to go up the Sea Life tower which gives good views over the bay.

There's a Sea Life Centre on the Preston Beach road which also has some mini-golf type things at it which would be popular with older DC.

The Nothe Fort is good for a visit - you can do various trails, dressing up and hunting around dungeons, etc.

The isle of Portland has some good stuff: you can climb the Portland Bill lighthouse. The Lobster Pot cafe at the bottom is nice, or there's the Jail house cafe which is actually part of the prison (but not as scary as it sounds!)

We like going to Abbotsbury (village about 9 miles west of Weymouth) where there is a Swannery and lovely SubTropical gardens. Plenty of nice cafes here and pubs for lunch. You can also climb a hill up to St Catherine's Chapel which has a lovely view.

On Saturdays there's Bridport Market (another 9 miles past Abbotsbury, so about 18 miles out of Weymouth) which has lots of good toy stalls so is popular with DC.

Dorchester (just a few miles north of Weymouth) has a dinosaur museum and (I think) a Tutenkhamun museum. It also has the county museum which is interesting in parts. If you're a fan of Thomas Hardy novels, there's lots of walks you can do as his stories are all set in that area.

Near Dorch is Kingston Maurwood which is an agricultural college that has a children's petting zoo type thing and various walks and cafes in the grounds that we like. There's also Poundbury which is Prince Charles' village project and looks quaint to walk around. Lots of nice cafes and playgrounds which little DC would like. Also a chocolate factory!

The main beach in Weymouth is also really nice: lots of rides, Punch and Judy, traditional stuff like that.

Hope you have a lovely time!

My DDs and their cousins loved crabbing from the harbour walls.

there's also the sealife tower t the opposite end of the prom. the dc enjoyed that. it goes up really high and you get fantastic views.

the fort near the tower is worth a visit.

I don't know the names of the roads, but as you went past the town and over to the touristy bit by the harbour/port, you go over bridge and come down the other side, there are two fish and chip shops there. both are lovely.

Hopefully the weather will be nice and you take advantage of the fab beaches.

Thanks! I should have said we have 3 daughters who will be 6.5, nearly 4 and nearly 2.

I've been looking up Weymouth and the area in previous threads and I don't think I've ever seen such enthusiasm for an area, both from previous holidaymakers and people who live there. I'm really looking forward to going!

If we were to take one trip further afield (say an hour or so) would you recommend Bournemouth, Salisbury, Glastonbury / Stonehenge or Winchester? (I'm a history buff). There seems to be a lot very close to Weymouth so I don't want to drive all around the country, but just one day it would be nice to visit something of historical interest.

They might be a bit young for the Tank Museum at Bovington, but Monkey World isn't too far.

Fish and chip shops, as Help mentioned, are also great. There's the Marlborough on Town Bridge, and the Waterfront just over the bridge on the left. Both excellent. The bridge lifts up every 2 hours which is also something DC like to see. It's 10am, 12:00 etc so you can plan to be there at the right time.

Re day trips, remember that driving in Dorset is sllllllooooooooowwwww. No motorways and as often as not you're behind a tractor. So all the places you mention are at least 90 mins away if not over 2 hours.

Bournemouth I wouldn't bother with personally, as it's just like Weymouth but bigger. Salisbury is pretty, and the cathedral is lovely, but not sure whether your DCs would be that interested.

You could think about going up to Shaftesbury and Stourhead (National Trust) which has lovely walks and scenery and is very DC-friendly. Shaftesbury has Gold Hill where the Hovis advert was filmed and is nice to look round. Sherbourne, on the way, is similarly nice and has a couple of castles.

It is a truly lovely area. I was brought up there and lived there until I went to university, but only make annual pilgrimages there now to see family. You will have a great time :)

How about going into the new forest, there are places to stop and see the ponies. A fair few nice pubs to stop for lunch. We stayed at Sandy Balls camp site last year near fordingbridge. We went to Weymouth for the day and stopped to see the ponies.

Unless you are serious army and history buffs I wouldn't go to Bovington. H and ds2 loved it as they are serious army buffs I endured it but dd who was just 8 at the time was actually crying begging to leave as she wasn't enjoying it, it was hard work if you aren't into tanks as it is room after room of tanks. The tank display was good, but a bit slow paced. the section with the trenches in was good as well, but again a lot for younger dc to take in and I think the 4 and 2 yr old might even find it scary as its dark and smelly.

Monkey world is fab, I can imagine your dd's are just the right age range and would enjoy it.

Stonehenge is worth a visit as long as you don't mind being in the car there and back, but you could fill the rest of the day at Stonehenge.

I really hope you have good weather and can make use of the beach though, even now dd would happily just sit and make sandcastles and run in and out of the sea.

Corfe Castle is a really good day out - you could also visit Swanage or Lulworth Bay. Nothe Fort is great too.