Home Town Tourists: Chapter 1

Being a tourist in your own hometown sounds a bit odd, but hear me out. Imagine taking a new perspective on the areas you live in; seeing it as if you were a tourist for the first time. If we do this, we’ll often find a lot of new and exciting places that we either haven’t been before, or places we’ve taken for granted being on our doorstep.

Being from the South Coast of the UK (a popular tourist destination), we’ve decided while there is a huge hike in petrol prices to explore areas closer to home as the weather gets brighter and warmer. Since we have the South West Coast Path on our doorstep, we’ve spent the last few weekends completing chunks of the beautiful scenic path walk and stopping in local towns to explore after.

We decided that that while we were being home town tourists, we wouldn’t venture further than forty minutes from where we’re living in Weymouth, with the exception of one slightly further trip to Hengistbury Head in Bournemouth. First up, we started with the highest point on the south coast: Golden Cap.

Golden Cap, Bridport

On one lovely sunny morning we took a trip to Golden Cap, a glimmering royal peak on the southern coast of England. With views for miles, the easy walk to the top takes you through a wooded area where a steep but short incline takes you to the top. At the top, hold onto those hats as it gets a bit gusty! To the west you’ll see the small holidaying village of Seatown and its quiet sandy beach (pictured below), to the east you’ll see the bustling seaside town of Lyme Regis. This was a really enjoyable walk with beautiful views out to sea; we sat on the peak for quite a long time watching the world go by!

Golden Cap, Bridport

The highest point on the south coast.

Kimmeridge, Wareham

Next up, a trip to the famous fossil-hunting ground: Kimmeridge Bay in Wareham. Another gloriously sunny day was spent cracking open rocks looking for fossils, hiking up to Clavell Tower and skimming stones in the waves. The only downside was the car parking was a flat rate of £6, but as we had such a lovely stroll we couldn’t complain. Afterwards, we wandered around the little town of Wareham for some lunch.

Kimmeridge Bay, with Clavell Tower perched on the hill to the left.

Isle of Portland

Our final trip of our first Home Town Tourist trips was around the Isle of Portland, the small island joined to Weymouth by Chesil Beach. You can quite easily explore the whole island in one day, with the entire size being 6km long and 2.7km wide. The weather was another beautiful day when we went, with not a cloud in the sky and a beaming March sun shining all day.

First we started at the northern tip of the island, parking at the New Grounds Car Park (free!) and checking out the viewpoint over Chesil and Weymouth Bay. Here, there is also the Quarry + Sculpture Grounds, which proved very exciting, hunting for the sculptures completed by artists for the arrival of the 2021 London Olympic Games Sailing Events.

Shortly after we explored the Portland stone sculptures, we headed to Church Ope Cove, a lovely secluded cove with a walk down to the stoney beach and some ruins from the first church on the isle which had its last service in the 1700s. Then, we had a trip to the iconic Portland Bill lighthouse (pictured below) and experienced some extreme wind gusts and glorious crashing waves.

To finish the day, we headed to family run Fancy’s Farm at the northern point of the island, a last minute stop we’d found by chance. There we found wallabies, goats, sheep, alpacas and lots of birds to feed and admire at the windy field above the infamous Portland prison. The feed was only £1 a pot and the animals were very happy to be fed and were very friendly. My favourite were the lovely alpacas who were an absolute delight to see.

Portland Bill lighthouse, southern-most tip of the South Coast

Was it Worth it? Absolutely!

We had the best time being Home Town Tourists. We found so many new places we wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. Not to mention, we saved money at the same time by cutting fuel costs and choosing the environmentally friendly option of exploring nearby, supporting local businesses and appreciating our nearby beauty spots.

Let me know if I’ve inspired you to try some Home Town adventures! Where are you going to explore next?