George III's statue at Weymouth
To recognize George III's contribution to Weymouth's development, his statue was erected at the end of the Esplanade in 1810, the 50th year his reign. The views that the King would have experienced are still marvelled at by today's visitors with Weymouth Bay surrounded by the magnificent Purbeck cliffs and the neighbouring Isle of Portland.
Weymouth's esplanade
Weymouth's esplanade is testament to the Georgian era with its listed terraces, which are now occupied by many of Weymouth's hotels.
Here is everything you need for a wonderful holiday. The long and gently shelving sandy beach is perfect for families with young children and for several years it has been included as one of the top 10 UK beach destinations. Weymouth still offers the traditional seaside holiday with a Punch and Judy show, children's rides, pedalos and sand sculptures.
Weymouth town centre
Weymouth town centre is relatively compact, situated between the beach on one side and the harbour on the other. It has one major Department Store, Debenhams, together with a good range of independent and national chains.
Weymouth's harbour
Weymouth's attractive harbour retains a substantial commercial fishing presence with crab, lobster, scallops and many varieties of fish landed by its fleet of trawlers, whilst it is also a ferry port for trips to France and the Channel Islands. There are opportunities for angling, diving and sightseeing trips and the inner harbour has a very large marina.
Custom House Quay which fronts the harbour on the town side is the setting for many of Weymouth's attractive pubs and restaurants Until the 1980's Channel Island boat trains used the quay to reach the harbour and the railway lines are still in the road.
The other bank of the harbour is reached by crossing the Town Bridge, a lifting road bridge which is raised to let boats in and out of the inner harbour. Alternatively on some summer you can cross the harbour by ferry; a rowing boat is operated between Nothe Gardens and the Ferry Terminal.
Weymouth's restaurants
More restaurants and pubs can be found on this bank together with 2 local attractions, Nothe Fort and Brewers Quay, and a walk to the end of the stone pier will give you a different aspect of the bay and the Isle of Portland.
Weymouth's entertainment
Close to the Ferry Terminal is the Pavilion Theatre which provides a variety of entertainment throughout each year.
This is also the start point for Weymouth's 3 mile promenade link to Overcombe with magnificent views of Weymouth Bay all the way.
Lodmoor Country Park
About 1 mile from the town centre along this promenade is Lodmoor Country Park. This is a 350 acre site overlooking Weymouth Bay. It has a number of family attractions including an RSPB Nature reserve; Sea Life Centre; Leisure Ranch; Mini Golf; Miniature Railway; Skate Park.
There is ample parking at Lodmoor Country Park for user of the attractions. It also provides useful "out of town" parking avoiding the regular traffic queues heading for the town centre. If you do not fancy the twenty minute walk to town, a Seafront Land Train operates daily between Easter and the end of September.
Weymouth & The London 2012 Olympic
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing events will be hosted at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), and the adjoining Portland Marina, which offers world-class facilities and some of the best small boat sailing conditions in the world.
Sailing will be a non-ticketed event - spectators are free to watch from the shore outside the marina, or from any point along the coastline.
Weymouth's transport links
Weymouth has direct rail connections with London provided by South West Trains and Gloucester via Bristol and Bath with First Great Western.
Reaching Weymouth by road can often be irksome, as the main route from Dorchester is very congested in the peak holiday months. Also Weymouth is more that 50 miles from the nearest motorway. The infrastructure developments for the 2012 Olympics should help to improve these links.
