General - there were plenty of things to do in Weymouth for all ages of the family. There were lots of attractions when we were there, especially the beach which was full of stalls, fair rides and food outlets. There were plenty of car parks and places to get food and drink, and there were some nice walks along the coast with plenty of places to stop and take in the beautiful scenery. The harbour offered excellent views of all kinds of boats and yachts, and there were plenty of spaces to sit and eat your fish and chips whilst viewing them. Overall, Weymouth was a very nice place to visit for a holiday with an excellent beach and plenty of things to do including Crazy golf, visiting Aqualand and enjoying the fair ground rides.
Food and Drink - amongst the shops you will find plenty of restaurants and pubs. Most pubs welcome children and have lots of seating areas outside if the weather is warm and dry. We found that the best place to go for a quick cold drink was a place called 'Shakies' which served milk shakes of your choice, and these included a Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate shake, a Maltesers shake and a Cadbury's Caramel shake. In fact, any sweet you can think of can be made into a milk shake by them, and they were all very very tasty! We tried some fish and chips from one of the many takeaways amongst the shops and it was delicious!
Disabled - we were quite surprised that most of Weymouth was on flat ground which is obviously good for people in wheel chairs. There was a lift in the car park, though we were not sure if it was working correctly. There was a ramp going down to one side of the beach, but on to pebbles and not sand. We didn't go over to the other side of the beach, so there might well have been a ramp there as well. We would say that the only problem that wheel chair users may have in Weymouth, would be the amount of people in the streets. For non-disabled people it was quite daunting as there was so many people bustling around, particularly in the older parts of the town where the streets were quite narrow. Obviously, this wouldn't be a problem out of season. There were disabled toilets in the car park next to the cafe beside Aqualand, with a flat ramp leading up to them. We didn't go into Aqualand or the Crazy golf course, but from what we saw, this was all on flat ground as well so there should be no problems there.
Toilets - we noticed a couple of toilets dotted around, with the main ones being in the big car park next to a cafe, Aqualand and the Crazy golf course. We do remember seeing other toilets situated in the town centre more, but can't remember exactly where they were. The toilets we did use were fairly clean and fairly large in size.
Children - there are plenty of things for children to do in Weymouth. On the beach alone were childrens 'clubs', fair rides, donkey rides and various other activites. Aside from the beach, there was a small fairground that we think catered for younger children, and there was also a mini/crazy golf course and Aqualand with many aquariums. There were plenty of shops with toys and other such items that children (and older children, i.e. adults) would enjoy looking through. We think children would especially like 'Shakies' for their milkshakes, and would probably ask to go there more often than not.
Beach - a very nice and a very long beach. The main area that was situated just in front of the shops was very busy becuase of the very warm weather. It was full with plenty of visitors but it had space for a 'Punch and Judy' show, a sand sculpter, plenty of kiosks for food and drink, fairground rides, a childrens play scheme and much more. We went to a part of the beach that was further away from the main town but still on the same stretch. Unlike the main area, the bit we were on was shingly and not sand. This caused a bit of a problem as it hurt your feet a fair bit, but this was remedied by purchasing a pair of beach shoes for £5. These were fairly robust and could be worn on the beach or in the sea and easily stopped the pain that the shingles caused. They were also useful to protect your feet whilst in the sea swimming or kayaking. The beach was very clean and had only the occasional seaweed. The sea was also spotless and was very clam when we went, so there would be no problem with younger children. We were told that the sea can get very rought sometimes though. You can paddle out a long way without the water going over your waist, which was excellent, although the water was freezing!!! The beaches were a real sun trap, so plenty of suntan lotion would need to be slapped on if you were visiting during the Summer.
Pubs - plenty of pubs dotted around the town. We didn't eat in any of them, but the food certainly smelt nice! The one pub we went in was nice and clean with plenty of seats outside and children were welcome as well. The drink was a decent price which was good.
Car Parks - we stayed in the multi-story car park which had plenty of spaces. It used a kiosk system to pay when you left the car park, so don't forget your ticket when you leave as the kiosks are not on every level. There were the usual stairs to the different levels but there were a couple of lifts for the elderly or disabled. The car park was generally clean although there was the usual smell of urine near the lifts. We did notice other car parks dotted around the town which seemed to be completely full up. There were also some parking spaces on the side of the road, but they were full as well.
Review Date - 2007-09-13