Weymouth is around 15 miles west of Bournemouth which might not sound too remote. However the town is one of a number in the South West where the lay of the land results in one road in and one road out. Nearby Swanage is another, or Brixham and Salcombe in Devon where the road simply reaches the sea and has nowhere further to go.
In practice that means Weymouth is harder to reach, though supporters would argue this adds to the ‘escape from it all’ appeal. And though there are minor roads leading into the town from the east and west, the main artery road is the A354 from Dorchester. Fortunately this road has been improved in preparation for the 2012 Olympic sailing events in Weymouth and Portland. Travelling times are around 1½ hours from Southampton and 2 hours from Bristol to the north.
Similarly by train, Weymouth is at the end of the line. At least there is a rail station of course – it runs along the coast to Bournemouth and Southampton primarily with direct trains from further afield with London Waterloo being around 2¾ hours away.
Parking in Weymouth
As a seaside town, Weymouth is a relatively large town, so has a number of sizable pay and display car parks in and around the centre and the beach, along with restricted seafront spaces and on-road parking slightly further out. And as with any seaside town, queues build up around the centre and surrounding roads.
Escape by Sea
One way to escape the traffic is to drive down to the ferry terminal where Condor Ferries operate a regular service to the Channel Islands of Jersey or Guernsey. Foot passengers and cars are accommodated on the crossings which take 2½ hours to Guernsey and 4 hours to Jersey on the fast ferry. See more at Condor Ferries.