Abbotsbury to Weymouth
Start and Finish
From Abbotsbury to Weymouth or Ferrybridge
Distance
13 miles or 11 miles
Type of Walk
The path follows a route inland of the Fleet, through Langton Herring (which has a decent pub serving good pub food), and mainly flat to Wyke Regis and on to Ferrybridge (if you plan to walk the Isle of Portland next day) or on to Weymouth with its wide choice of accommodation and other activities.
This can be a very windy stretch, open to the elements, and Moonfleet Hotel (which overlooks the Fleet) is at an especially open and unspoilt part of the south west coastal path. The Chesil Bank and The Fleet Nature Reserve enables bird and plant life to thrive. Over a century ago, they tried to drain the Fleet to increase the available arable land, but the salt water kept draining through so the project was halted, and nature has been in charge ever since.
If you follow Chesil Beach you commit to a very long and difficult pebble walk.
Many choose the well-marked alternative, taking walkers inland from Abbotsbury towards the Hardy Memorial and, avoiding Weymouth, staying high and reaching the coast again at Osmington Mills. The views are great this way; the decision rests upon whether you want to experience the Fleet and the town of Weymouth.
Points of Interest
Abbotsbury has a great historical feel, and nestles in a comforting hollow protected from the elements that blow in over Chesil Beach. The Fleet, a salt water lagoon trapped by the spectacular and bleak Beach, great for nature especially bird life.
