Signs of London 2012 in Weymouth…
The London 2012 Olympics almost passed me by – I was busy at work for the beginning and away on holiday at the end. I enjoyed the clever opening ceremony on TV, and saw the wonderful gold medal performances by Nicola Adams in the boxing and Jade Jones in the taekwondo on TV in our hotel. And I stayed up late to watch Tom Daly’s bronze in the high diving. But that was it, really.
Except that I CAN claim to have been in Weymouth during the Olympic sailing events. Long before we found out that the sailing was going to take place there, we had already planned to visit the Dorset resort for a day from our holiday base in Poole.
The Esplanade in Weymouth
We caught the train and went anyway, almost despite the event. And it turned out to be a good day – I am always delighted when I find a railway station drops you right in the town centre.
I am assuming that the town is usually full of traffic, but of course it was banned for the duration of the Olympics and this made it a heaven for pedestrians.
It looked like everyone had come for the sailing and the usual seaside attractions looked a bit unused…
The sandy beach at Weymouth…
See that pillar in the background? That’s the Sea Life Tower, with the viewing platform almost at the top…
A kiosk selling ice-cream…
A kiosk selling buckets and spades…
A Punch & Judy show…
A carousel on Weymouth’s Esplanade…
The donkeys on the sand take a break…
…although there were some young donkey riders later in the day when the sun came out…
I love these colourful inflatable animals…
The whole of Weymouth was full of bunting and union flags…
A colourful little side street…
More British flags flying…
The London 2012 logo was everywhere – although Weymouth is a long way from London…
I wonder what the story is behind these wilted roses and union flag, alongside the harbour?
A word from our Olympic sponsors… the McDonald’s Golden Arches…
We did see some yachts, but not the Olympic competitors, as they were out of sight unless you had a ticket for the viewing area…
A view from the beach in Weymouth towards the East…
A bright sailboarder in Weymouth bay…
Spectators coming back from Weymouth harbour, which led to the Olympic viewing area…
The Olympic sailing could be viewed from the other side of Nothe Fort, beyond this ridge…
On this side it was just little boats and seagulls…
We did watch the sailing on the huge TV screens on the beach (impossible to photograph, I found) and saw the end of the Triathlon event in which the Brownlee brothers took gold and bronze, to huge spontaneous applause from the gathered crowds on the Esplanade.
The sailing on the big screen was impossible to photograph…
There were lots of Olympic volunteers in their bright pink and purple, as well as the emergency services…
Olympic 2012 Weymouth & Portland ambassadors…
More Olympic helpers…
Cheery policemen making sure all was secure…
I was impressed by this fire service vehicle with its signage in five apparently randomly chosen languages – although maybe there were others on the far side…
There was a bit of wildlife…
A crow searching for something – anything – in the very clean and litter-free sand…
A chirrupy young sparrow beside Weymouth harbour…
Weymouth seems to have been popular with British royalty…
A statue of George III raised for his golden jubilee in 1809 – he had apparently used one of the first bathing machines to dip himself in the waters 20 years earlier…
A closer look at the George III statue on Weymouth’s Esplanade…
Meanwhile a bust of Queen Victoria adorns the Fairhaven Hotel on the front in Weymouth…
The bust of Victoria celebrates both her golden jubilee in 1887 and her diamond jubilee in 1897 (the dates are below the bust but cropped off this image)..
As usual there was architecture to admire…
Weymouth’s Royal Hotel on the Esplanade…
The Hotel Rex…
Weymouth architecture…
More Weymouth architecture…
A hint of the Romanesque…
The square and compass suggest this is a Masonic hall…
The Harbour Master’s office…
And finally I love a good sign…
A painted sign for Weyfish Ltd…
The White Hart Tavern…
The Globe Inn…
The Sun Inn…
The Royal Oak…
The Cutter Hotel, with Welsh and English flags flying…
I had been to Weymouth only once before – in 1976 when I was on an archaeological dig in Dorchester and we went to Weymouth every week to have a shower in the swimming baths. So I didn’t have a very positive impression – but I certainly do now – great place, especially without the traffic!
The Squirrelbasket 
Aaagh! Depending on which day you were here – we could have met for a coffee!
The seaside huts selling ice-creams etc. make me sad. Until recently, they were painted with bright, seaside-stripes – vertical yellow, red and blue ones – but were replaced by cream and airforce blue huts for the Olympics.
Glad you liked Weymouth – though there are goods and bads about it.
It crossed my mind, knowing you lived there, but sadly (and happily) I had the other half with me, and he is a bit impatient!
Interesting about the huts – I thought EVERYTHING looked as if it had been given a lick of paint!
Best wishes – I look forward to seeing more of your rambles around Weymouth đŸ™‚
A lovely typical seaside town – memories of my childhood (they don’t make ’em like that any more) – don’t you just love bucket and spade shops and all those selling holiday ‘tat’, for people who wouldn’t dream of buying such rubbish except whilst on holiday. Love it.
Indeed, that’s the wonder of the seaside. When I was a kid the seaside meant Barry Island (very much full of tat in those days) or Porthcawl (a bit posher).
Best wishes đŸ™‚
Haven’t been to Weymouth for ages Pat despite it being not that far away! Great to see it through your eyes đŸ™‚
Glad you liked it đŸ™‚
Although I don’t think it would be quite as lovely with traffic running through it…
Pat..The clouds in the Sea Life appear shaped as two people one in back/one in front standing in deep water..almost looks like Louisiana after Issac..Sounds like you had a great time, by the way I did get a slight burn on my shoulders, but thanks for the tour it was worth it…even across the pond the better halfs are impatient ? good grief!!!
Ha-ha – yes, I can see that, too…
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You should have seen Weymouth before, during and just after WW2. I lived there from 1936 until 1956 and loved it so much I have written a book called “Weymouth Days”,with poems and prose articles about my life there. Im afraid I dont go back because I think it has been disgracefully savaged and raped for personal gain. Michael Sheldon, now a No4rwich resident.
I’m sad I didn’t see it in all its glory. And I hope others will see this comment and consider getting your book.
Best wishes đŸ™‚