Attractions
Durdle Door, Wareham, UK
Durdle Door
Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset. It is privately owned by the Weld Family who own the Lulworth Estate but it is also open to the public.
Referred to as the Drinking Dragon it is one of the most visited sites in Dorset. Boats from Weymouth Harbour will take you to the sea side of the arch and the best views.
Portland Bill, Portland, UK
Portland Bill
Portland Bill is a narrow promontory (or bill) at the southern end of the Isle of Portland, and the southernmost point of Dorset, England. One of Portland's most popular destinations is Portland Bill Lighthouse. Portland's coast has been notorious for the number of shipwrecked vessels over the centuries. The dangerous coastline features shallow reefs and the Shambles sandbank, made more hazardous due to the strong Portland tidal race.
The Bill is an important way-point for coastal traffic, and three lighthouses have been built to protect shipping. The original two worked as a pair from 1716, and they were replaced in 1906 by the current one.
Weymouth, UK
Weymouth Harbour & Town Bridge
The harbour forms the mouth of the River Wey as it enters the English Channel.
Weymouth Harbour has included cross-channel ferries, and is now home to pleasure boats and private yachts. The Weymouth Harbour Tramway ran along the north side of the harbour to the long disused Weymouth Quay railway station. The track was removed during 2020 and 2021 except for two short sections left as a memorial. Immediately to the north at the harbour entrance is Weymouth Pier, separating the harbour from Weymouth Beach and Weymouth Bay. Weymouth Pavilion and the Jurassic Skyline observation tower could be found here before its removal. Stone Pier is located on the south side of the harbour entrance.
The harbour includes a lifting bridge to allow boats into the inner harbour, Weymouth Marina.
Abbotsbury Swannery, New Barn Road, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, UK
Abbotsbury Swannery
Abbotsbury Swannery is a colony of nesting mute swans near the village of Abbotsbury in Dorset, England. Located on a 1-hectare (2-acre) site around the Fleet Lagoon protected from the weather of Lyme Bay by Chesil Beach, it is the only managed in the world, and can number over 600 swans with around 150 pairs. Written records of the swannery's existence go back to 1393, though it probably existed well before that and is believed to have been set up by Benedictine monks in the eleventh century.
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, Bullers Way, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, UK
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
The Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens is a visitor attraction near the village of Abbotsbury, Dorset. They are Grade I listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.[2]
The garden originates in 1765. In the late eighteenth century, the Fox-Strangeways family (the Earls of Ilchester) built a new house on the location; when it was burnt down in 1913, they returned to their family seat at Melbury House, but the walled garden was maintained—it remains in the ownership of the family. Since then, particularly after the contributions of the 4th Earl of Ilchester, the gardens have developed into an 8 hectares (20 acres) site with exotic plants, many of which were newly discovered species when they were first introduced. There are formal and informal gardens, with woodland walks and walled gardens; in addition, the gardens also contain certain "zones" that exhibit plants from different geographical areas.
The gardens are in a wooded and sheltered valley, leading down towards the sea at Chesil Beach; this combination produces a microclimate in which more delicate plants than are usually grown in southern England can flourish, and plants that would otherwise need a greenhouses can be grown outside. However, in spite of its location, the plants remain vulnerable to bad winters, and the frost that they can bring; in 1990, violent storms damaged many of the rare specimens, which have since been replaced by younger plants. In 2010, Abbotsbury employed the chainsaw artist Matthew Crabb to carve a 200-year-old oak tree that had fallen after a particularly bad winter. The gardens won the Historic Houses Association/Christie’sGarden of the Year award for 2012, the first time that a subtropical garden has gained the award.