On Tuesday we were in Cornwall, Wednesday in Devon and yesterday we found ourselves in Dorset.
First Pier of the day was the beautiful art deco style Weymouth Bandstand which was once a lot longer than it is now. After falling into disrepair the council blew the end up in 1986 to leave it as it is now, a single two storey building on the promenade that houses a café, an amusement arcade and an Italian restaurant. It certainly doesn't look like a pier now but the sign says it is one so that's why we were there taking our selfie on a bright Thursday morning.
If we thought it was strange classifying the Weymouth Bandstand as a Pier then we were in for a shock when we found Weymouth's other pier, the Commercial and Pleasure. It didn't seem to have a start or a finish and although there was a building at the front that looked like it once may have been the start of the pier it certainly didn't now. There was concrete everywhere, car parks, portacabins and wire fencing. Bizarre probably sums it up best!
We found a metal sign on the pavement that read Pleasure Pier and in the absence of anything else resembling the entrance that looked as good a place for our selfie as any.
Despite the underwhelming piers we loved Weymouth and had a very enjoyable couple of hours wandering around the seafront, harbour and shops. But as has been the case all week we were on a schedule and it was time to move on. Next stop Swanage.
We enjoyed a very scenic car journey from Weymouth to Swanage including admiring the beautiful Corfe Castle and village. Swanage itself was another jewel in the Dorset crown and the Victorian pier was stunning. Wooden decking, metal balustrading, a slight dog leg halfway up the pier and a two storey end of pier made for a beautiful construction. Well worth the 80p 'strolling' fee (take note Clevedon). The café at the entrance to the pier contains a couple of rooms out the back that house some old penny arcade machines that are a must see....
After a stroll along the sea front and a walk through the town to the Steam railway it was time to head back to the car. We'd decided to head for the ferry to make the short trip over to Poole rather than take the long route around mainly because we wanted to see all the amazing houses on the exclusive Sandbanks. While living in Poole in the early nineties I was lucky enough to have an apartment there with amazing views over the harbour to Brownsea Island. Unfortunately I ran out of money and had to leave after 2 months but it was fun while it lasted.
Anyway, the upshot of taking the ferry was that we got to our hotel for the night a bit earlier than anticipated. So, we decided to head to Boscombe and check out the 4th pier of the day and the 13th overall.
And what a little gem it was. Another 'promenading' pier (free) with a couple of shops at the front (closed) we enjoyed an hour simply taking in the views and playing on the musical instruments scattered along the pier.
Then it was back to the hotel for a few drinks in the bar and a game of cards....
Distance travelled so far: 557 miles Piers Visited: 13
First Pier of the day was the beautiful art deco style Weymouth Bandstand which was once a lot longer than it is now. After falling into disrepair the council blew the end up in 1986 to leave it as it is now, a single two storey building on the promenade that houses a café, an amusement arcade and an Italian restaurant. It certainly doesn't look like a pier now but the sign says it is one so that's why we were there taking our selfie on a bright Thursday morning.
#10 Weymouth Bandstand (Built 1939)
If we thought it was strange classifying the Weymouth Bandstand as a Pier then we were in for a shock when we found Weymouth's other pier, the Commercial and Pleasure. It didn't seem to have a start or a finish and although there was a building at the front that looked like it once may have been the start of the pier it certainly didn't now. There was concrete everywhere, car parks, portacabins and wire fencing. Bizarre probably sums it up best!
We found a metal sign on the pavement that read Pleasure Pier and in the absence of anything else resembling the entrance that looked as good a place for our selfie as any.
#11 Weymouth Commercial and Pleasure (Built 1840 and 1933)
Despite the underwhelming piers we loved Weymouth and had a very enjoyable couple of hours wandering around the seafront, harbour and shops. But as has been the case all week we were on a schedule and it was time to move on. Next stop Swanage.
We enjoyed a very scenic car journey from Weymouth to Swanage including admiring the beautiful Corfe Castle and village. Swanage itself was another jewel in the Dorset crown and the Victorian pier was stunning. Wooden decking, metal balustrading, a slight dog leg halfway up the pier and a two storey end of pier made for a beautiful construction. Well worth the 80p 'strolling' fee (take note Clevedon). The café at the entrance to the pier contains a couple of rooms out the back that house some old penny arcade machines that are a must see....
#12 Swanage (Built 1896)
After a stroll along the sea front and a walk through the town to the Steam railway it was time to head back to the car. We'd decided to head for the ferry to make the short trip over to Poole rather than take the long route around mainly because we wanted to see all the amazing houses on the exclusive Sandbanks. While living in Poole in the early nineties I was lucky enough to have an apartment there with amazing views over the harbour to Brownsea Island. Unfortunately I ran out of money and had to leave after 2 months but it was fun while it lasted.
Anyway, the upshot of taking the ferry was that we got to our hotel for the night a bit earlier than anticipated. So, we decided to head to Boscombe and check out the 4th pier of the day and the 13th overall.
And what a little gem it was. Another 'promenading' pier (free) with a couple of shops at the front (closed) we enjoyed an hour simply taking in the views and playing on the musical instruments scattered along the pier.
#13 Boscombe (Built 1889)
Then it was back to the hotel for a few drinks in the bar and a game of cards....
Distance travelled so far: 557 miles Piers Visited: 13
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