South West Coast Path
Today’s distance walked – approx 13 kms (8 miles).
Ascent – approx 100m (328 ft).
South West Coast Path day 40. I woke at 5 am and had a coffee and a muesli bar in my hotel room at Castetown, Portland. At 7.15 am I headed downstairs for breakfast and chatted with the new hotel owners about the building’s history and their plans to restore its seafaring heritage. I left at 9 am. The sun broke through at 9.30 as I made my way back via the marina.
Towards Weymouth
From Ferrybridge, the trail picked up the route of a historic railway line into Weymouth. Midway, I popped into the beautiful Sandsfoot Gardens and the ruined castle, completed in 1541 by Henry VIII. It was built to defend this part of the coast after his break with the Catholic church following his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. There was a stretch of road walking this morning, but I didn’t mind at all – it was rather lovely. The path led to a pretty walled seafront at Newton’s Cove, then on to the historic Nothe Fort.
Weymouth
I must have been to Weymouth before, but I don’t remember any of it. It ticks all the boxes for a classic British seaside town and even hosted the sailing events for the 2012 Olympics. Weymouth boasts a harbour packed with boats, framed by colourful old buildings full of shops, pubs, cafés, and fish ‘n’ chip smells.
Families were out crabbing – a seaside sport that’s less about skill and more about bacon. You dangle a bit of bait on a line, wait for a crab to latch on, then pull it all up and drop it into your bucket. The real challenge is not getting tangled in everyone else’s lines or tipping your bucket over. Eventually, all the crabs get tipped back into the sea again.
Weymouth Bay has the Jurassic Skyline tower, rising 54m above the town, and a decent shopping area strung with cheerful bunting. The wide promenade is perfect for people-watching, with a painted clock tower and rows of colourful old houses. Down by the beach, there’s a small pier with a theatre, a funfair, a classic helter-skelter, donkey rides, and Punch & Judy shows. The beach was buzzing with families, deckchairs, umbrellas, tents, and inflatables. I strolled along, taking it all in. Across the bay, white cliffs stretched towards Lulworth and Kimmeridge.
Weymouth to Osmington
The promenade stretched around the bay into the next suburbs, and after a few kilometres, I left the beach to climb Furzy Cliff, overlooking Bowleaze Beach. I arrived at Bowleaze Beach funfair at 1.15 pm. The standout was a long, blue-and-white Art Deco building, which I assumed was probably a resort. There wasn’t a soul around, just a sign for refreshments, but nothing looked open.
I climbed to the top of the hill and spotted the famous White Horse etched into the limestone downs to the north. Wikipedia tells me it is the likeness of King George III, who regularly holidayed in Weymouth and helped make it “the first resort”. It is an impressive 85m long and 98m high.
A bit further on, I passed a big outdoor education centre perched above a lovely stretch of beach, then reached Rosewall Campsite at 2.20 pm. I spent a couple of hours stretched out in the sun, then retreated to my very hot tent for a lazy afternoon. By 4.30 pm I was ready to wander down the road to the clifftop near the Smugglers Inn, a classic 18th-century pub and a perfect spot to catch a breeze.
