Weymouth, Dorset, UK

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The harbour at Weymouth.

In June 2022 we decided we wanted to get out to try a few different hikes and go somewhere that was new to us for walking. We both knew Weymouth so chose that as somewhere we’d like to visit. Back in the 1970’s, when we were growing up, Weymouth was always a summer day trip for families like us, living in Bristol. That was if my Dads Vauxhall Viva didn’t break down on the way. It did just that more than once.

So, we found a static caravan on Littlesea Caravan Park, Weymouth, via Air BnB, and booked a six day break for us and the dog.

The Victorian seafront and main beach at Weymouth. Lovely golden sands, clear blue/green shallow sea water and they even have a Punch & Judy Show.

We bought an Ordinance Pathfinder book for the area before we left and picked off two or three 10 mile hikes to try and fit in to our week. What turned out to be a bonus was that we could walk along a coast path, from the caravan site and a re-used railway line, in to the main town. That was a good seven or ten mile round trip, depending on our return route, which suited us. I don’t like taking the car anywhere if it’s possible to walk.

The village of Abbotsbury on the left with St Catherine’s Chapel on top of the hill to the right.
There’s something a bit like the first Gladiator film about this pic. We had to walk through this field on the hike. There was a public right of way path, cut out by the farmer, so no crops were damaged on our way through.

Abbotsbury

Our first walk, from the book, was a circular route, starting at Abbotsbury and then going inland before returning to the coast and walking back along Chesil Beach. That was a nice walk although the return route, along the beach, was behind a wall of pebbles so we couldn’t see the sea. That was our view for several miles but overall, not a bad walk.

In between planned hikes we walked into Weymouth several times and explored the town. It’s changed a lot since I’d last visited but it’s still a lovely English seaside town. It has a large golden sandy beach and a nice promenade The harbour area is buzzy and quaint.

We passed this grazing horse on our walk in to Weymouth from the camp site.

Kimmeridge Bay

Our other planned walk was a ten mile circular coastal/inland walk from Kimmeridge Bay to Swyre Head. This was a really good walk, lots to see, terrific scenery and quite challenging.

The view towards Swrye Head just after Kimmeridge Bay.
This was some climb, up to Swyre Head. We knew we were stopping for lunch at the top which spurred us on.
This was the high point of the walk and just to make it a bit harder, it was towards the end of our return route. The view to the right, inland, was Corfe Castle but we could only just make it out because of the low mist.

We had a great week in Weymouth, in fact there isn’t anywhere in Dorset I don’t like. The camp site was really nice and the caravan was fine for the pair of us and the dog. We will go back as there are some more walks in the book we’d like to try. Plus, I want another mixed grill, as per the image below, from the local pub just outside the campsite.

All images: ©Stephen Hyde 2007-2025 – All rights reserved.

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