Cave Hole

The cave mouth opens up suddenly as you round the cliff path above Weymouth - no fanfare, just a dark hollow carved into the stone that's been swallowing the curious for centuries. Cave Hole is exactly what it sounds like: a proper sea cave you can actually walk into, formed by water erosion over millennia. The entrance is dramatic enough, but the real thrill is stepping inside where the light gets strange and the air turns cool. It's not a vast underground network or anything, just a single chamber that rewards a closer look with tide pools and rock formations if you time it right.

Walkers and photographers are the main beneficiaries here - you get the satisfaction of reaching it on foot, and the views back across Chesil Beach from the clifftop approach are genuinely excellent. Kids will find it interesting for maybe twenty minutes, the sort of place they'll want to explore every crevice but won't occupy them for hours. The real value is as part of a coastal walk rather than a destination in itself. The nearest towns are Weymouth and Fortunesham, both handy for supplies, and you're well-positioned if you're based at Waterside or Chesil Beach Holiday Park - just a short drive and a pleasant cliff-top ramble away.

Timing matters here - check the tide before you go, as the cave is only fully accessible at lower water levels. Access is free and there's no admission charge, which makes it a brilliant pocket-sized addition to a Dorset holiday rather than something you'd plan the whole trip around.