Realising that it’s been quite a few years since we visited
and with a settled day in prospect we drove over to Weymouth in Dorset.
The town established itself as a seaside destination and no
doubt increase its popularity with the coming of the railway in 1857, not least
because of the glorious sandy beach which stretches away up to the Purbeck coast and
being east facing in protected from the prevailing weather.
The river has always been my favourite part of town, when we
started sailing, visiting boats would tie up along the wall and raft up. I
remember one time the crew of a yacht inside us struggling up and down the
ladder to take their huge Pyrenean Mountain dog ashore.
These days things are easier
with floating pontoons and ramps installed for visitors. It’s a perfect place to sit and
watch the comings and goings with plenty of café’s and bars right on your door
step and the centre of town just a short walk away.
Places never look their best on a cold January day, but the
town seemed very run down with many empty shops and air of neglect despite the
investments made for the 2012 Olympics.
The Cutter Hotel caught my eye and
seemed to sum up the situation, a fine old building which if located in
Dartmouth or Padstow would probably be a gastro pub run by a celebrity chef.
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Its surprising how run down Weymouth is given how nice it is.
ReplyDeleteGolly - I could get a 43 bed guesthouse right on The Esplanade for less than the price of a 1 bed apartment in London.
ReplyDeleteI love this aspect of English "Culture" (for want of a better word) - Pubs with great names and interesting visual signage to match. Of course all us boat nuts would on seeing this sign for the first time check out whether or not the artist has painted the cutters rig accurately LOL.
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