The Veranda

The view from The Veranda stops you in your tracks the moment you arrive. You're standing on what feels like the edge of the world, looking out across Weymouth Bay with Portland Island rising up to your right and the Chesil Beach sprawling beneath you like some sort of geological marvel. The pebble bank curves away in both directions, and on clear days you can see for miles - proper stunning stuff.

It's the kind of spot that works brilliantly if you've got a camera or just want to stand about thinking for twenty minutes. The walk to get there isn't brutal, but it's steep enough that you'll feel like you've earned it. Families with younger kids might find it a bit of a slog, though older children who can handle a decent incline will get something from the effort. This is really about the view rather than having things to do once you're there, so go when the weather's decent - fog rolls in quickly and ruins the whole point.

If you're staying at one of the local parks - Waterside or Chesil Beach Holiday Park are both minutes away in Weymouth - this makes an excellent half-morning outing. You can be back for lunch without breaking a sweat. It's worth combining with a wander down to the beach itself, especially if you're interested in the geology of the Chesil Beach. Solo walkers and photographers will genuinely love it here. Day-trippers from Weymouth looking for a different angle on the bay should add it to the list.