Weymouth
Weymouth (pop. 45,000) is a colourful little seasisde town. It started its history long ago as a port. Weymouth is thought to be the place where the plague entered England in 1348. It developed as coastal resort in 1789 and the Georgian Esplanade dates from this period.
Few are the remains from the pre-Georgian era, but a Tudor House from 1600 survives and can be visited (open Tue-Fri 11am-3:45pm from June to September, or 2pm to 4pm on 1st Sunday of the month the rest of the year). The Nothe Fort, was built in the 19th century on a penisula between Weymouth and Portland to protect the two harbours.
Among Weymouth's modern attractions is one of the UK's six Sea Life Park. It is a highly rated aquarium with sharks, rays, Japanese spider crabs, otters, seals and penguins.
The Deep Sea Adventure (open 9:30am to 7pm, until 8pm in July & August; entry adults £3.75, children £2.75) features both a museum of underwater exploration since the 17th century, and a display retracing the tragic story of the Titanic.
How to get there
Trains run between Weymouth and London Waterloo (2h45min, £31), Dorchester (12min, £2.60), Bournemouth (1h, £10.10), Southampton (1h40min, £15.90) and Bath (2h, £11.20).
National Express buses connect Weymouth to London (4h, £26)
|
