Summer at Weymouth

My wife’s birthday corresponded with one of the warm weather days in August. We took the train down to Weymouth to enjoy a seaside day.

The place was heaving with people. Weymouth looked like the photos of summer beaches that newspapers used to publish back in the 1950s.

Now if you are one of the travelling folk who go to remote places you might hate this sight. I prefer quiet and peaceful myself, but here we had thousands of people just enjoying sun, sea and sand. And, hopefully, some of them bought things and put some money into Weymouth’s coffers.

It looks a merry, happy throng.

Weymouth seems to have traditional entertainments. There is a Punch and Jud

That’s a grand puppet theatre.

I used to love swingboats and there they were on Weymouth beach.

There’s a helter-skelter.

And of course there are donkey rides seen here with a new attraction beyond – the Jurassic Skyline.

There’s even a simple beach crazy golf.

Actually, these attractions were not doing a roaring trade as we passed. But then maybe many folks were having lunch.

It was definitely an experience and tomorrow I’ll describe rail journeys which, for many were not such a good experience.

 

Jurassic Skyline

That’s what a lift/viewing tower is called in Weymouth. Weymouth is in Dorset and much of the Dorset coast is known as The Jurassic Coast because of dinosaur finds. This visitor attraction is right on the edge of the sea on the harbour wall

We visited at the end of April and decided the weather was OK for aerial views so we took a ride. Essentially you are lifted upwards in a glass doughnut shape, sitting on a seat and looking outwards. This rises 53 metres (174 feet) up a tower and then does two full horizontal rotations so that you get an all-round view twice. We went as a group of four which made it £6.50 per person. We were the only four riders on our trip. It’s a good ride and the views are splendid so here’s a collection.

That’s the tower with the doughnut at the top.

This is the previous trip coming down to earth again

There’s a lot in the next picture. The tall ship, The Pelican is at the dockside. Beyond it is Nothe Fort and then Portland Harbour and the headland of Portland Bill.

Weymouth Harbour heads in some way up river.Weymouth sea front and beyond you can see the sea beyond Chesil Beach. It looks, but can’t be, much higher than the local sea.

Fairground fun on the beach.

The Victorian clock tower is near the left end of that photo but I was looking more at the lovely Dorset Hills.

A wider view of Weymouth.

It looks like a model village from up the tower.

There’s a clear view of the Osmington White Horse complete with kingly rider.

Shipping berths – but Weymouth is not, at the moment, a ferry terminal.

And we are round and can see Pelican again.

Nothe Fort and Portland Harbour walls.

The orange item is Weymouth lifeboat. My cousin’s son was a crew member at one time.

Portland Bill.

Miniature people down below.

Weymouth.

Our shadow.

And back down to earth we came. We enjoyed it and would have liked longer.

 

 

The Pelican of London again

On a visit to Weymouth earlier this year we saw this tall ship and I wrote about it back then.

A couple of weeks ago we were in Weymouth again, and so, too, was the Pelican.

And there’s the prow end with the fine bird motif.

I’m tempted to say that winter work was going on aboard the ship although I only saw the one chap at work, high up in the rigging.

It wasn’t entirely clear what he was doing.

Rather him than me, stood up there on a rope. I love to see these tall ships but I’m aware of my limitations, both physically and mentally.

A bit later we had walked across to the other side of the Wey mouth and could see Pelican in all her glory.

What a great looking vessel she is.

 

The Pelican of London

It is years and years since I visited St James’ Park in London and saw the pelicans there. The Pelican of London I refer to is a tall ship, based in Weymouth. That’s a place I visited recently.

I must be feeling nautical. It was ships yesterday and it is again today.

We had parked at what I’ll call the north end of the prom. But we could see the masts of a tall ship in the harbour area and those masts drew us in. They seemed to exercise a magnetic pull over us. Well, tall ships are wonderful vessels. They are filled with thoughts of times past and of the romance of the sea, although as I approach older age I see them as items to look at rather than to wish to be on. Climbing rigging is not a task I want to actually do.

Anyway, having walked the length of Weymouth’s prom, we found ourselves alongside this tall ship.

The ship was called The Pelican of London.

It featured a fine pelican on the sharp end (you see, I am not at all nautical).

And here’s that rigging I have no desire to climb.

A quick glance at a notice board revealed it was a training ship. The notice invited one and all to apply for a turn learning how to cope.

But it was only back at home that I really took in the history of the boat.

In some ways it may not be as old as expected for this ship was launched in 1948. She was built in Le Havre in France as an Arctic trawler, a job she did for 19 years and in 1968 she re-emerged as a coaster called Kadett. She was like this until 1995 when she was converted into her present form as a tall ship. That was 12 years work so this Pelican has been in this form for less than ten years.

As we walked away and up the harbour, we could see Pelican alongside a fairly modern high speed ferry.

You can take your pick as to which looks more beautiful. I know I did!