Weekend away with children near London? How about Weymouth?

London must be one of the best-connected cities in Europe. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that most of our trips will be international and include a flight. Many people will try to spend their weekend away with children in countless places abroad. But what to do, if you can’t find the right flights or you prefer to have the benefit of your own car? How about Weymouth?

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When a couple of weeks ago we decided to spend a weekend with children in Weymouth on the Jurassic Coast they were very surprised. Even more so, when they heard that we will drive for 2-3h and we were not going to the airport to fly somewhere. I will admit, one of the reason we went to Weymouth was simply because I could not find any reasonable last-minute flights to a European destination.

So we packed the car, promised the kids we were going to do some crabbing and off we went to the “exotic” destination of Weymouth.

Accomodation 

Accommodation – we booked a family room at The Richmoor Hotel. The hotel was in a perfect location by the beach and, although a bit dated, the kids really enjoyed a sandcastle themed room.

Because of the traffic on the way to the South we arrived to our destination a bit later than planned but after a quick check-in at our hotel we ventured out to explore the town. Even though the children were a bit tired after the long drive, they were very eager to start their weekend with an “evening adventure”

Weymouth Harbour – a beautiful backdrop for fish&chips

The Weymouth Harbour, which is possibly the most picturesque place in town was a short 15 min walk along the beach. Of course, it is only 15 minutes if you are not stopping to try to throw every single pebble into the sea but eventually we made it there.

As it was past dinner time and we were all hungry we decided to have the famous Bennett’s Fish & Chips whilst sitting on the quay. They even offer kids version of the dish. It was fresh and tasty – just as it should. I think the scenery around us also added to the experience. The smiles on kids’ faces was just the reward we needed.

What a great way to start our weekend with children in Weymouth!!!

If you fancy, you can also take a boat trip from here to Portland Harbour or along the amazing Jurassic Coast, maybe even see the famous Durdle Door. Our young ones wanted to go on one but we simply run out of time. We will have to go on one next time.

The crabbing – a social event with crabs as an excuse

We also visited the harbour the following day. It was not only for the views but also for the highlight of the weekend – the crabbing. We promised D. that when we go for the weekend in Weymouth we will go and try crabbing.

If you have never heard of it, it is basically, getting the buckets, nets and baits and then sit on the quay and try to catch and pull out some crabs. We bought the equippment in the local store and looking like a bunch of professionals went to face the claw-clicking creatures. This was supposed to be highlight of our weekend with children, so the spirits and determination were high.

After few hours of sitting on the quay and throwing a bag with bait back and forth into the water we had to admit the failure. We have did not catch a single one. ☹ Don’t get me wrong, they were interested in the bait but somehow our rookie technique failed us when it came to pulling them out.

But not all was lost, we enjoyed the company of other families doing the same – all of them had crabs in their buckets though. We even borrowed some crabs to take the photos. Maybe, it was the wrong type of crabs we were trying to catch?

We spent a very pleasant time chatting about best types of baits and children were playing with new friends. Everyone was simply enjoying their relaxing weekend.

The Weymouth Beach – everything you need for a lovely weekend with children

Of course, going to the seaside would not be complete without spending some time on the beach. The sea was a little chilly so we dropped the idea of swimming. We ventured out to look around for other ways of entertaining ourselves.

Weymouth Beach has a lot to offer. First and foremost, a lot of it is covered in fine sand so it is one big sandpit for the kids. Our children could easily spend the whole weekend simply digging, building sand castles and throwing sand at everyone around.

Secondly, there is a fun fair with a few rides, slides and other equipment to keep the little ones busy. Fancy a donkey ride? Don’t look any further. You can also do it here, directly on the beach.

I have to say, we were surprised how much the Weymouth Beach can offer. It definitely made our weekend with children much more interesting.

The Jurassic Coast

Weymouth area is part of the famous Jurassic Coast. The place known for its cliffs, geological formations and countless fossils found on the beach and in the ground. Since 2001 it has been also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Outside of Weymouth we only visited two interesting places. All are within short drive from the town – the Portland Island and the Durdle Door.

The Portland Island

The island which is the southernmost point in Dorset is home to a lot of interesting places. These include the Portland Harbour and the Chesil Beach and the Portland Bill Lighthouse.

At the very tip of the island, there is the Portland Bill Lighthouse. Its surrounding area is great for the sea views and checking rockpools for trapped sea creatures.

The Portland Harbour is one of the largest manmade harbours in the world and it is packed with history. In 1944, it was used for the D-Day preparation and invasion. In 2012 the harbour was also the site of the sailing events for the London Olympic Games.

The Chesil Beach

The Chesil Beach is 28km long with pebbles, in places up to 15m high. A great place to visit if your kids love throwing pebbles into the sea. It has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site as a wonder created by the nature. It is also home to some unique wildlife such as seabirds, wild flowers and even a rare scaly cricket. We spent a couple of hours simply walking along and throwing stones into the sea.

Durdle door

No visit to the Jurassic Coast would be complete without seeing the Durdle Door.

It is a structure that appears in music videos, movies and countless postcard shots. It is definitely worth seeing as it is a short 30min drive from Weymouth. You can easily build it into your weekend with children itinerary. Please note however, that the place is very crowded at peak times. There is also a bit of walking which might be steep for younger children. Check our photos here and decide yourself if it is a dinosaur as one of the legends tells.

All in all, Weymouth is a great place for a weekend with children, not far from London. Offering a great range of activities to keep even the most demanding kids happy. Definitely, you don’t need to go far to have a great time.