Local beaches

A near-perfect semi-circular beach, carved out of the cliffs by the power of the sea, offers safe bathing in the sheltered bay, rock pools at low tide and endless diversions for the geologically inclined.

From Lulworth Cove there is a popular 2km walk along the cliffs to the equally impressive Durdle Door, a natural arch of limestone rock that overlooks the cove.

Chesil Beach is an 18-mile shingle spit reaching from Portland Bill to Abbotsbury, wonderful for walking and bird watching, and a popular centre for windsurfing.

Whilst in the area, visit the Hive Beach Café at nearby Burton Bradstock or the River Cafe in West Bay where much of the crime series Broadchurch was filmed.

This is the place for water sports: scuba diving, kite surfing, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing. It was also home to the London 2012 Olympic sailing events, hosted by the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, which also offers sailing lessons.

Recommended dining options with fantastic food with views, include The Crab House Café, Café Oasis, and Quiddles.

Studland Bay offers 3 miles of beautiful sandy beaches in the unspoilt surroundings of Studland Nature Reserve, a 3200-hectare area of heathland which is a haven for rare birds. The bay’s four main beaches include a National Trust visitor centre and a water sports equipment hire shop, both on Knoll Beach.

Whilst in the area, pop into the Square and Compass Pub in nearby Worth Matravers. You might also like to try some horse-riding at Studland Stables, for rides on the beach, in the forest, on the heath and along the coastal ridge – spectacular views!

Ideal for families and perfect for swimmers, Burton Bradstock has ample parking and is easily accessible from neighbouring Bridport. Wonderful cliff top walks can be taken from both ends of the beach.

Whilst in this area, you might like to visit Whitchurch Canonicorum, where you will find the only saint’s relics in England in a parish church. Also buried here is Sir George Somers (the real-life shipwreck who inspired Shakespeare to write the ‘Tempest’), colonizer of the American state of Virginia and the Caribbean island of Bermuda. 

Weymouth’s status as a seaside resort was established over 200 years ago when King George III visited to ‘take the waters’. However, a fact that is likely to be of more interest to the children is that Weymouth’s sand is renowned for being particularly suited to sand sculpture and, more importantly, sandcastle building.

Second Wind, a water sports company, offers Jurassic kayak tours, coasteering (jumping/swimming/climbing and rock-hopping on a variety of natural routes), windsurfing tuition, Jurassic paddle-boarding, Weymouth sailing and kite-surfing.