When you think of a European summer seaside destination you might immediately think of such exotic destinations like St. Tropez or Nice or the Cote d’ Azur, but possibly not the southern English coastline. Ah, but there you would be mistaken as there are many delightful seaside towns in England that can offer a delightful seaside experience.
In this mini photo-essay, I present to you Weymouth on the centre of the south coast whose neighbours to the east are perhaps the better known towns of Swanage, Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton and then Brighton. Weymouth has a micro-climate which gives us sunny days whilst further inland dark skies may dampen the summer.
Weymouth has a natural curving bay leading to an old fishing harbour with plenty of history and lots of anchorage for today’s pleasure boats. Leading out on a spit from the old harbour is a causeway that links to Portland, a large headland overlooking a deep water harbour long used by the Royal Navy and now, today, increasingly by large cruise ships.
The imaginative local council have ensured that the town is kept pristine and attractive for each season’s incoming tourists. Smartly attired deck chairs are arranged along the entire seafront overlooking the clean white sands.
The beach front is lovely – but don’t take a pizza otherwise the seagulls will want to share it with you!
At a traditional English seaside, the front would not be complete without a good Punch and Judy show in it’s traditional striped theatre garb. Traditional roundabouts are also to be found to delight the smaller tourists.
And donkey rides for the kids.
The old harbour has a constant passage of working and pleasure boats.
Over the years, the town has hosted Royal visits as the statue to King George VI attests, beautifully restored and repainted for the 2012 Olympics during which the sailing events were held in Weymouth’s bay area.
And the ornate clock celebrating Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1887 and still working perfectly!.
Quaint and neat streets with bunting and fascinating shop windows.
Georgian sea front hotels line the sea front.
Excellent free 1970’s rock music is played in the sea front gardens.
And then the final English ‘quirks’ – “The Beach Huts” which are home-from-home for families at weekends and holidays.
One comes complete with it’s mermaids…..
And a weather vane celebrating the 1931 Schneider Trophy race, the winner of which was the Supermarine S.6B flown by R. J. Mitchell which later went on to become the famous Spitfire fighter of World War 2.
Wow, what a fun destination! And surprisingly not at all busy on the beaches for such a lovely place.
Mac, it seems you’ve come home!
I took a walk once along the SW Coast Path, Exmouth to Weymouth, over several days and saw a wonderful variety of English seaside towns and countryside. Unfortunately, obviously, for me, I caught a bus on the edge of Weymouth and stayed instead in Dorchester. Although a very nice town (nice walk to Hardy’s Cottage), I see now what I missed. A perfect excuse, as if I needed one, to go back. Thanks Mac.