Nottington

Nottington sits about 2.6 miles north-west of Weymouth. It is a place to stay for access rather than for sights of its own, and the useful things lie a short drive away.

Its one historic claim is a spa. A mineral spring is first mentioned in a letter of 1719 or 1720, and visitors from Weymouth’s high society came to drink the water. Robert Vining built a lofty octagonal pump room and baths of three storeys and a basement on Nottington Lane in 1830, and the Grade II listed building survives. By the early 1900s the spa was deserted. The building is a private house now, so it can be seen only from the lane.

Nearby Chickerell is 2 miles north-west of Weymouth, with the Fleet Lagoon and Chesil Beach to its west. Bennetts Water Gardens, in Chickerell, hold national collections of water lilies and are open on set days between April and September, so check bennettswatergardens.co.uk before setting off. Chickerell had 6,283 residents at the 2021 census, and Chickerell Downs, a Woodland Trust wood with public access, is also in the village.

For the seafront, harbour and town centre, Weymouth is the nearest base. The village of Upwey, where the River Wey rises, is nearby.